Twenty-three schools in western Wake County are affected by the school district’s reassignment proposal for the 2008-2009 school year.

Officials say the plan, which only includes elementary schools, was designed to fill the two new middle schools opening in western Wake County, Laurel Park and Mills Park, and another in north Raleigh, as well as to relieve crowding. Laurel Park Elementary is located in the old Bespak facility at Laura Duncan Road and Old Apex Road in Apex. Its base population will be derived mostly from students currently attending Davis Drive, Baucom, Briarcliff and York elementaries.

Mills Park is located in the Cary Park development in far west Cary near N.C. 55 and Carpenter Firestation Road. It will be mostly made up of students currently attending Highcroft and Green Hope elementary schools.

WCPSS staff will be accepting comments on the plan through Jan. 1 before a final proposal is submitted to Board of Education members on Jan. 8.

To comment online, visit www.wcpss.net/assignment-proposal and locate your school in the dropdown box under “Schools Affected” on the right of the screen. Once on the page for that school, click “Make Comment” on the right of the screen to fill out the comment form.

Though online comments are preferred, parents may also write to the Office of Growth and Planning, Wake County Public School System, 3600 Wake Forest Road, Raleigh, NC 27609 or leave a message on the reassignment hotline by calling 501-7998.