Stoneleigh Students Headed to Carver Next Year

Stoneleigh Elementary School students will be attending classes at what's now the next year, according to a letter sent home to parents Thursday.

The temporary move will allow renovation construction to proceed much faster—14 months instead of 27—and save $2 million in costs.

"I think everyone agrees that it will certainly help to expedite the Stoneleigh project and be put them in a very advantageous position to get back into their school as soon as possible," said Charles Herndon, a school system spokesman.

The Carver Center had been slated for demolition, with a replacement school set to open nearby next fall. But now it's been given a year's reprieve, while  as a middle school in the future.

School system officials first discussed the idea earlier this month and offered parents the opportunity to decide whether to relocate to Carver or stay at Stoneleigh during construction.

School system officials worked with Stoneleigh's administration on plans to calibrate Carver into an elementary school. An "overwhelming majority" of Stoneleigh families voted for the Carver option, according to the letter.

, a member of the parents group Stoneleigh United, called the news "fantastic." She said she's spoken with friends who have children at , which is currently undergoing renovations of its own.

"They're having so much trouble with construction going on and their kids being there," she said. "For our kids not having to got through that, it will be such a great, incredible option."

The note to parents is attached to this story.