Photos by Eric Brady | The Roanoke Times

A meeting Monday at Woodrow Wilson Middle School in Roanoke addressed education and pending budget cuts.

Roanoke school officials David Carson and Rita Bishop talk to parents Monday at a meeting.

Roanoke school officials are considering two plans to close schools that would save the district $3 million at a time of economic crisis.

The first calls for closing Raleigh Court Elementary School and William Ruffner Middle School. The second also would shutter those two schools while at the same time moving students from Fishburn Park Elementary School and Woodrow Wilson Middle School.

Administrators discussed the two options at a community meeting at Woodrow Wilson on Monday night, the first of three such meetings to be held this week.

The two alternatives shed more light on a broad budget-cutting proposal unveiled last week, designed to cut $15 million, or roughly 10 percent, from the school system's spending. Besides closing schools, administrators have suggested laying off up to 100 teachers, freezing wages and eliminating preschool for 3-year-olds.

The first option would send Raleigh Court kindergarten, first- and second-grade students to Fishburn Park, and send third-, fourth- and fifth-grade students to Grandin Court Elementary School. The advanced program now housed at Raleigh Court and Fishburn Park would move to Highland Park Elementary School. Other special programs, such as preschool, would move to other elementary schools. Students at William Ruffner would be dispersed to other middle schools in the city.

The second option would combine Fishburn Park and Raleigh Court into the building now occupied by Woodrow Wilson Middle School. Students at Woodrow Wilson would move to James Madison Middle School, making it the biggest middle school in the city, with a combined enrollment of roughly 900 students. Under this option, the Fishburn Park building would be annexed by neighboring James Madison to create more middle school space. As in the first option, William Ruffner students would be dispersed to other schools.

Closing schools and cutting teachers will have an effect on schools citywide, Superintendent Rita Bishop said.

"There is no doubt that class size will go up next year," she said.

Administrators have known for a long time that Raleigh Court is in need of repairs. The school needs a new roof and a new heating and cooling system. The building also dates to an earlier era when school safety was less of a concern. Classrooms open directly onto a courtyard, making it hard to secure external doors.

Likewise, William Ruffner is housed in an aging building, and has been losing students steadily. The school system estimates its enrollment at 354 students next year, the smallest in the city.

Parents at Monday's meeting appeared to react more favorably to the second option, because it would keep Raleigh Court students together, making it possible for siblings to attend the same school. Combining Raleigh Court and Fishburn Park would produce a 573-student school next year, about the same size as Fallon Park Elementary School.

Nevertheless, some were upset at the thought of closing a familiar school.

"It really upsets me," said Melissa Morris, the mother of a Raleigh Court student. "It's a very good school, the teachers are wonderful, and I think it's very sad that they may break that up."

Diane Butler, whose son is a sixth-grade student at Woodrow Wilson, said the school system's plan "wasn't nearly as bad as we thought it would be."

Although she likes being able to watch her son walk across the street to go to Woodrow Wilson, she said she did not object to combining Woodrow Wilson with James Madison.

"Maybe it would be a chance to strike up new friendships," she said. "Over time it could work."

Christina Jones, a counselor at Woodrow Wilson in her first year on the job, said she was worried about her job security under the proposal.

"I guess I'm still processing," she said. "Especially because it's considering my job."