“I don’t have it readily available,” a beleaguered Jim Christy, transportation director, said this morning. “I just haven’t had a chance to put it all together.”

Christy has been busy since Tuesday night putting together new maps and figuring out which students are affected and how their moves will affect enrollment and demographics.

And the speed with which the plan came together and was passed 4-3 by the board had Christy and others scrambling to answer questions and describe the new boundaries.

As late as this morning, officials were still generating new maps, adding more roads and subdivisions to their descriptions of the affected areas.

Some numbers seem clear, such as enrollment at the new Southeast Middle School on Peeler Road. It will open with around 650 students, school system officials say. That’s about 81 percent of the school’s 800-student capacity.

Minority enrollment will be 13 percent, and 26 percent of the student body will get free or reduced-price lunches.

Based on tentative calculations from the school system:

• Enrollment at China Grove should drop from 600 to 515. The school has a capacity of 688 and is in a growing area.
• Enrollment at Corriher-Lipe will drop from 686 to 581. It has a capacity of 606.
• Severely overcrowded Erwin Middle will see its enrollment drop from 1,069 to 813, still slightly exceeding its capacity of 796.
• West Rowan Middle, also overcrowded, will drop from 1,007 to 701. The school has a capacity of 867.

Under the high-school component of the plan, Salisbury High’s enrollment will be about 850 next year, up from 745 this year. It will climb during the next few years, with some rising ninth-graders from the former South, East and West districts entering Salisbury via Southeast Middle.

Salisbury High’s minority enrollment will drop to 51 percent, from 54 percent this year, according to figures supplied by the school system. Students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunches will decrease from 41 to 35 percent of the student body.

A proposal put forth by Superintendent Dr. Joe McCann would have shifted 73 students from an area along N.C. 70, primarily in the Westcliffe subdivision, in the West district to Knox Middle and Salisbury High. Under that proposal, minority enrollment would have been 53 percent.

But board member Vick Bost dropped that change from the plan he presented and the board adopted Tuesday night. Bost’s plan won support from board members L.A. Overcash, Dr. Ada Fisher and Clyde Miller.

Board Chairwoman Dr. Bettie Starr, Vice Chairman Bruce Jones and member Kay Norman voted against the plan, but they all say it seems the plan adopted will stand.

The plan also will increase enrollment at Elizabeth Hanford Dole Elementary, North Middle and North High schools. Bost added the elementary students to his plan, though they hadn’t been discussed in previous proposals.

Thirty-three elementary-school students in an area north of Bringle Ferry Road will shift from the East Rowan district to the North district. Of those, 22 attend Morgan Elementary and 11 attend Granite Quarry Elementary.

School officials expect North Rowan Middle’s enrollment to drop to 713, from 769 this year. Minority enrollment there will be 49 percent, down from 58 percent. Students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunches will drop from 63 percent this year to 49 percent in the fall.

North Rowan High’s enrollment could rise to 808, with 51 percent minority students, according to the figures. This year’s enrollment is 733, with 52 percent minority enrollment. Students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunches will drop slightly, from 40 to 39 percent.

Exactly who will help make up the new numbers still was not quite clear today.