The better path
CPS does not need to choose between early childhood expansion and Norfolk Highlands Primary. A better plan is to expand preschool seats through a distributed early childhood model that keeps young children closer to home, uses existing available space, and preserves a school community that is already working.
This recommendation supports early childhood education. It also asks CPS to avoid unnecessary disruption, longer transportation, staffing pressure, class-size uncertainty, and the loss of a walkable neighborhood school.
Clear ask
Pause the Norfolk Highlands conversion plan. Publish the data. Study a distributed preschool model. Keep young children close to home. Keep Norfolk Highlands Primary open.
Our position
We support expanding early childhood education. We support better services for preschool students, students with disabilities, and families who need earlier support.
We do not support closing a successful neighborhood school without first showing that this is the least disruptive, safest, and most educationally sound option.
CPS should not treat “expand preschool” and “close Norfolk Highlands Primary” as the same decision. These are separate questions.
A better alternative: distributed early childhood seats near children’s homes
Instead of creating one large centralized preschool site by closing Norfolk Highlands Primary, CPS should evaluate placing early childhood classrooms in existing schools with available capacity, especially schools closer to the preschool students who would otherwise face longer bus rides.
What this model protects
- Norfolk Highlands Primary as a neighborhood K–3 school.
- Existing teacher, staff, student, and family relationships.
- Shorter routines for very young children.
- Existing school structures instead of sudden reassignment.
What this model reduces
- Longer bus rides for pre-K through grade 3 students.
- Pressure on receiving schools and class sizes.
- Sudden hiring pressure for preschool and special education staff.
- Implementation risk from converting an entire school at once.
Why CPS should study this before any vote
1. Young children should stay close to home when possible
Pre-K through grade 3 students are the youngest and least independent students in the school system. They rely heavily on short routines, familiar adults, predictable transportation, stable pickup and drop-off, consistent therapy schedules, and close family-school communication.
Longer transportation is not a minor inconvenience for this age group. It can affect attendance, fatigue, family logistics, therapy schedules, and access to school. Before CPS moves young children farther from home, it should publish age-banded transportation projections for both the centralized model and a distributed model.
2. Available space should be used before closing a successful school
If CPS has schools with available capacity, that should be part of the solution. Available space can be used to add preschool classrooms closer to where children live, reduce class sizes, create intervention space, support special education services, and preserve neighborhood schools.
Empty seats are not automatically a reason to close a school. They are also an opportunity to serve students better.
3. Closing Norfolk Highlands creates new problems elsewhere
Norfolk Highlands Primary is a popular neighborhood school with strong parent support, trusted teachers, a walkable location, and strong community identity. Closing or repurposing it would not simply move students. It may shift costs and disruption elsewhere in the school system.
- Possible larger class sizes at receiving schools.
- Longer transportation routes and higher bus demand.
- Disruption for families with IEPs, 504 Plans, therapies, and fixed pickup schedules.
- Loss of a walkable neighborhood school.
- Loss of trusted teacher-student-family relationships.
- Staff uncertainty and possible attrition.
- Reduced public trust in future CPS planning.
4. A centralized preschool center creates staffing risk
A large centralized preschool model would likely require CPS to quickly staff many specialized positions, including preschool teachers, early childhood special education teachers, paraprofessionals, related-service providers, bus aides, substitutes, support staff, and administrators.
CPS should not create a staffing cliff. A distributed model allows preschool expansion to be phased in more gradually using existing buildings and school teams.
The comparison CPS should publish
| Option | Description | What CPS should show |
|---|---|---|
| Option A | Current CPS proposal: convert Norfolk Highlands Primary into a centralized early childhood center and reassign current NHP students to other schools. | Transportation times, receiving-school class sizes, staffing needs, retrofit costs, source neighborhoods, and impact on current NHP families. |
| Option B | Distributed early childhood model: keep Norfolk Highlands Primary open and place preschool classrooms in existing CPS schools with available capacity. | Closest available seats, transportation times by neighborhood, available classrooms, staffing feasibility, cost, and implementation timeline. |
Required analysis before moving forward
Site selection
- Why was Norfolk Highlands selected?
- What other schools were considered?
- What criteria were used?
- How were building condition, acreage, transportation, accessibility, and disruption scored?
Closest-available-seat analysis
- Which schools have available classroom capacity?
- Where do preschool-eligible students live?
- Which available schools are closest to those students?
- How many preschool seats can be created without closing NHP?
Transportation
- Current travel times for NHP students.
- Projected travel times if NHP students are reassigned.
- Projected preschool travel times under the centralized model.
- Projected preschool travel times under a distributed model.
- Bus driver, bus aide, routing, and special transportation impacts.
Class size and staffing
- Current class sizes at NHP and receiving schools.
- Projected grade-by-grade class sizes after reassignment.
- Number of preschool teachers needed.
- Number of early childhood special education teachers needed.
- Number of paraprofessionals and related-service providers needed.
- Vacancy rates and hiring feasibility.
Building suitability
- Fire evacuation plans.
- Elevator capacity.
- Stair use by preschoolers and students with disabilities.
- Bathroom suitability.
- Playground suitability.
- Accessibility and retrofit costs.
Financial and community impact
- Cost of keeping NHP open.
- Cost of converting NHP.
- Transportation, staffing, and retrofit costs.
- Cost of distributed preschool classrooms in existing schools.
- Impact on walkability, IEP/504 families, therapy schedules, neighborhood reliance, and public trust.
Recommended steps for the School Board
- Pause the Norfolk Highlands conversion plan. No vote should occur until the public has seen the full data and alternatives.
- Publish the analysis. CPS should release the site-selection, transportation, staffing, class-size, building-safety, and financial analysis behind the proposal.
- Study a distributed early childhood model. CPS should identify existing schools with available space and determine how many preschool seats could be created while keeping children closer to home.
- Hold a public meeting at Norfolk Highlands Primary. Families and neighbors should be able to ask questions in the community most directly affected.
- Compare the options publicly. The School Board should compare the centralized model and distributed model side by side before making a decision.
Bottom line
CPS can expand preschool without closing Norfolk Highlands Primary. The School Board should require CPS to study a distributed early childhood model that uses existing schools with available capacity, keeps young children closer to home, reduces staffing and transportation risks, and preserves Norfolk Highlands Primary as a successful neighborhood school.
Research and source notes
- Institute of Education Sciences: school bus research summary noting that bus commutes over 45 minutes can increase chronic absenteeism among district-choice students.
- Cordes et al., Education Evaluation and Policy Analysis: study finding negative effects of long bus rides on attendance and chronic absenteeism for district-choice students.
- Learning Policy Institute, 2025: national teacher shortage overview estimating that about 1 in 8 teaching positions are unfilled or filled by teachers not fully certified for their assignments.
- Virginia special education staffing report: report stating that Virginia special education teacher vacancies increased from 654 to 784, representing 6.10% of the special education teaching workforce.
- National Head Start Association: workforce snapshot reporting persistent early childhood staffing vacancies and classroom closures.