Laurel Park Elementary School in Apex opens Monday. Mills Park Elementary School in Cary will also start class Monday. Sycamore Creek Elementary is scheduled to open in north Raleigh this fall.
APEX, N.C. -- Days away from the first day of school, teachers at Laurel Park Elementary School in Apex spent Wednesday putting the finishing touches on their classrooms.
"We have lots of furniture still to move and boxes to unpack," said the school's principal, Gail Turner. "It's new, and it's ours, and we're the first ones in it."
Roughly 600 students will fill the school when it opens Monday. Laurel Park is one of three new year-round schools opening this school year in Wake County.
"We are expecting about 610 [students]," Turner explained. "We may have a few more, we may have a few less, but I believe we'll be starting out right about there."
Mills Park Elementary School, in Cary, will also start class Monday. Sycamore Creek Elementary is scheduled to open in north Raleigh this fall. Turner said the first day of school always brings uncertainty.
Days away from the first day of school, teachers at Laurel Park Elementary School in Apex spent Wednesday putting the finishing touches on their classrooms.
"That's really been a challenge, knowing exactly how many students are coming," she said. "We've just tried to keep up with the numbers every day, and tried to be very careful about not over hiring. And I think -- I know -- we're in really good shape."
Schools across Wake County face the same issue, especially since the district is struggling to balance its budget while facing more cuts from state lawmakers.
"Wake County represents about 9 percent of the state's student population," said Michael Evans, a spokesman for the school system. "Whenever you hear about state budget cuts, we represent about 9 percent of that."
But while the school board and state lawmakers figure out what's best for the school system's budget, Turner figures out what's best for her students.
"I never sleep before the first day of school," she said. "I always worry about what have I forgotten. And I'm so excited to see the kids."