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Chesapeake proposes early childhood center at Norfolk Highlands Primary site; residents demand more data
Summary
The Chesapeake School Board heard a plan to repurpose Norfolk Highlands Primary as a dedicated early childhood center serving an estimated 250 students over two years, with an expected first-year net operating cost of roughly $1.44–1.5 million after VPI grant offsets. Speakers urged more transparent site-selection and class-size analyses before rezoning proceeds.
The Chesapeake School Board on Monday received a detailed proposal to repurpose Norfolk Highlands Primary as a divisionwide early childhood center, presenting enrollment projections, a rezoning plan and first-year budget estimates.
Miss Kim McGrath, who led the presentation, said the plan is intended to close kindergarten-readiness gaps and align instructional programming and facility capacity. Dr. Pedro Martinez, the division analyst, said the center’s "estimated baseline enrollment will be 250 students over two years" and that shifting some current CPI classrooms to the center could yield a districtwide net enrollment increase of roughly 150–200 students.
The proposal cites a decade-long decline of about 500 elementary students in South Norfolk and Indian River neighborhoods and reports combined neighboring-school capacity (excluding Norfolk Highlands Primary) of roughly 4,000 students, leaving an available capacity of about 659 students. Dr. Martinez said approximately 300 Norfolk Highlands Primary students would be rezoned to Thood Marshall, Georgetown Primary and Spyro Road Intermediate as part of the attendance plan.
Budget scenarios presented included a low case (about 144 additional CPI students) and a high case (about 198 additional CPI students). Estimated first-year program costs ranged from $2.4 million to $3.0 million; projected additional Virginia Preschool Initiative (VPI) grant awards of $1.0 million to $1.4 million would reduce the net operating increase in year one to approximately $1.44–$1.50 million. Officials said one-time technology and retrofit costs would taper, lowering annual net operating costs to an estimated $860,000–$995,000 in subsequent years.
The plan’s timeline calls for attendance rezoning work to begin during the 2026–27 school year, with staffing assignments and facility retrofits performed in summer 2027 and an anticipated center opening for the 2027–28 school year if the board proceeds.
Some residents told the board they support expanding early childhood options but said the division had not published underlying analyses. ‘‘Norfolk Highlands should not be asked to shoulder that burden by losing a core public asset,’’ said Ozan Duran, a Norfolk Highlands resident, urging CPS to release site-selection, alternatives, class-size and transportation impact analyses before moving forward.
Board members did not vote on the center Monday; the presentation was informational and the division said communications and additional public-facing materials will be developed as planning continues.
