Margaret B. Pollard Middle School to open/Budget cuts coming

Here’s the link to the Margaret B. Pollard Middle School website:
http://www.chatham.k12.nc.us/mbpms/mbpms/Home/Home.html

It has the editions of the Pollard Pony Express newsletter, a blog, and a Pollard campus video tour.  On the blog, you’ll be able to see the recently named principal, Dr. Justin Bartholomew, who is currently the Moncure School principal.  An assistant principal will come on board in the middle of the school year.  Basically, everything related to Pollard will transition as of July 1 – principal changing from Moncure to Pollard, it officially being a school, N. Chatham & Harrison officially changing from K-8 to K-5 schools, etc.

Due to construction delays, the campus will not be open until sometime in the winter.   Chatham County Schools hopes to begin moving furniture & equipment in December & transition students & staff from their temporary locations on the N. Chatham & Harrison campuses to the Pollard campus after the holiday break at the beginning of January.  The temporary campus situations will keep middle schoolers who would currently attend N. Chatham & Harrison on those same campuses until the Pollard campus is complete.

Dr. Bartholomew will hold an information session/meet & greet with Pollard families on June 8 at 6:30 p.m. in the Northwood High School auditorium.

(The aforementioned information was obtained from Beth S. McCullough, Public Information Officer, Chatham County Schools.)

But what of the budget cuts? How will this new school as well as others in the county be affected? Rumors of cuts in PE, the arts, and foreign language are circulating. Until the state budget is known for sure, definitive decisions about course offerings and electives will not be shared.  Let’s hope that some of these questions will be answered at the information session.  Despite the budget cuts, our students deserve high academic standards which include PE, the arts, and foreign language!