NEWPORT NEWS, Va. — The Newport News school board once again needs to decide where to send students zoned for Huntington Middle School next school year.
The School Board is giving the community a chance to help them make that decision on Tuesday night at 6 p.m. at the Marshall Early Learning Center.
There are three proposals on the table.
The first proposal keeps the same plan, which currently sends 6th graders zoned for Huntington to Hines and Crittenden Middle Schools.
The second sends rising 6th graders to Heritage High School.
The third sends 6th-grade students to Newsome Park elementary.
This year, 8th-grade students at Huntington are at Heritage High School, while students in 7th grade are split between Crittenden and Hines Middle Schools.
Huntington is closed because of the building's declining conditions. The school division launched a feasibility study in 2018 to guide the next steps for the middle school. The Superintendent's draft Capital Improvement Plan includes $50 million to rebuild the school.
Huntington Middle School holds real meaning to a lot of people, including Esau Byerson. He worked at the school in the 90s.
“Working here was a pleasure for me,” Byerson said. “Huntington is a nice school.”
Byerson said when Huntington closed its doors in 2018, it hit the community hard.
“The school means a lot, kids are in walking distance of the school,” Byerson said. “I think they should have never closed it.”
Byerson said the school needs to reopen because the community needs Huntington.
“Open the school, renovate it, and get the kids back to Huntington,” Byerson said.
For more information, call (757) 591-4500.