Several parents, educators and community members told the Red Clay Consolidated School District Board of Education on Nov. 19 that a proposed plan to repurpose McCain High School into an Innovation Center and to redraw attendance zones needs to be paused and reworked with more community input.

Morgan Dukes, a McCain staff member, said district staff overwhelmingly oppose the Innovation Center plan and urged the board to “slow down” and reassess. She cited a staff survey in which she said 77 staff opposed the plan and 60% were “strongly opposed,” and she warned of potential harms to special‑education and vulnerable learners if continuity of services and proximity to supports are disrupted. “When students with the greatest needs face the greatest risks, caution is not optional,” Dukes said.

Jessica Schroeder, a parent, said a programming committee recommendation approved July 9, 2025 would relocate the NYP community, staff and the pre‑IB curriculum to Skyline Middle School by fall 2027 and that the district’s outreach around the plan has been insufficient. Schroeder said the district’s survey reached about 3% of families and characterized the eight‑day summer survey window as rushed, arguing that such a low response rate cannot be treated as community consensus.

Community member Secora Irving told the board the district is reviewing feeder patterns that could require some students to attend three different middle and high schools in a short period and flagged transportation as a central equity issue. Irving noted that, according to materials discussed earlier, the committee removed a goal of equitable choice busing because the district could not fund it, and asked how the district can justify moving entire neighborhoods without a funded transportation plan.

Jenny Howard said the district’s approach risks concentrating poverty and higher student needs at a single school. She pressed the board for clarity on whether the plan represents an early phase of removing Wilmington students from suburban schools and suggested alternatives, including treating multiple high schools as district‑wide magnet sites with choice busing to balance enrollment.

Speakers repeatedly requested clearer timelines, capacity analyses for receiving schools, answers about staffing and schedules for high‑demand programs, and explicit transportation plans for students who would need to travel farther. Board members and staff acknowledged the comments and reiterated invitations to participate on an attendance‑zone and transition committee the district has commissioned, but gave no immediate commitment to delay implementation.

The board did not take formal action on the Innovation Center or redistricting during the Nov. 19 meeting; the public comments concluded with the board encouraging participation in upcoming committee meetings and information sessions.