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WAKE COUNTY, N.C. — The outlook is bright for about 300 Wake County students planning to attend the early college, leadership academies next year.

The deal to hold the single-gender academies did not work out with William Peace University.
Debra Townsley, the president of Peace, said the University was not ready to host the academies this year.

"Just not being able to reach an agreement that all the points that our trustees had hoped to have in the memorandum of understanding,” said Townsley. “So we're running out of time for the school year."

However Wake County Schools Superintendent Tony Tata said they were prepared with a back-up plan.

"We had a contingency plan just in case that we were unable to reach a deal this year with William Peace,” said Tata.

Tata said the women's academy will now be held at the Governor Morehead School and the men's academy will be held at the spring forest road swing space.

According to Tata, the early-college academies are appealing to students and their families and dropping them is not an option.

"The demand rate, it was actually higher than some of our most storied magnet schools. It was over three to one demand for these seats," said Tata.

Tata and Townsley still want to work toward holding the academies at Peace in the future.

"Part of the attraction of the leadership academies and all of our early colleges is getting students onto a college campus," said Tata.

The president of Peace plans to work with Wake County school leaders and the university could host the academies on campus as soon as the fall of 2013.