HAMLET — Plans to conduct a study related to the potential closure of a local school were scrapped Tuesday by the Richmond County Board of Education.
On March 24, the county school board voted to initiate a study about the feasibility of closing Ellerbe Middle School as a cost-saving measure. Concern about that possibility drew nearly three dozen citizens to the meeting on April 14.
Prior to the meeting's official opening, three speakers — Brett and Olivia Webb, and Michael Puckett — were recognized for three minutes each to air concerns about possible loss of the Ellerbe school.
Brett Webb, who started a petition to save the school following the last meeting, acknowledged that the challenges are not unique to this district.
“Across the state, districts are facing enrollment shifts, funding pressures, and difficult decisions,” Brett Webb said. “And I understand that this board and this administration are not in an easy position. But that is exactly why decisions like this must be handled carefully, transparently, and with all options fully explored.”
Brett Webb said he didn’t believe that standard has been met.
On April 2, Brett Webb sent an email to Superintendent Dr. Joe Ferrell and School Board Chairman Cory Satterfield, requesting to be placed on the agenda for a five-minute presentation, rather than be limited to the three-minute time allotment during the public comment period.
The email included petition demographics — with more than 1,ooo signatures — and a document detailing potential impacts of closing the school.
“There are serious concerns about how this process has been handled,” Brett Webb said. “And the bigger issue is this — this is part of a larger, systemic problem affecting public schools across this state. And if that is not addressed, decisions like this will continue to happen, and communities like ours will continue to feel the impact.”
Brett Webb said concerns about enrollment and funding do matter, but questioned if there had been any efforts made to work with state and county leaders before recommending the school closure.
“What we are seeing is a plan built almost entirely on reductions — not on solutions,” Brett Webb said. “If the only path being explored is cutting, then we’re not solving the problem — we’re managing decline.”
He also questioned if the study was to explore options “or to confirm a direction that’s already been decided?”
“And even when options are presented,if they all lead back to the same study and direction, that’s not a full evaluation — that’s heading in one direction,” Brett Webb said.
He and Puckett also brought up transportation issues “across one of the largest geographic areas in this county,” which was a concern of School Board members Scotty Baldwin and Ron Tillman.
Puckett said that students in the northern end of the county will have to get up 30 minutes to an hour earlier than they already are.
“Schools exist to educate children first — everything else comes after that,” Brett Webb concluded. “So this board has a choice: Stop … and fully evaluate every option — or continue moving forward despite what hasn’t been addressed. Because if this is the wrong path, that responsibility will be clear. And this community is watching.”
Olivia Webb began her comments by saying the board “has a statutory obligation to place the welfare of children at the center of any consolidation or closure study. The language and data presented so far do not reflect that obligation.”
“This board has a duty to advocate for all children at every level of government until public school options across all communities are stable,” she said. “It is also your responsibility to ensure parents are fully informed and that standards of equity and access are applied consistently.”
Olivia Webb then addressed the district’s consolidation webpage, which was launched after public outcry in response to the decision to conduct an internal closure study.
She said that while the public is invited to ask questions, those questions are vetted and selectively answered.”
“If a question remains unanswered, are we expected to stop asking?” she queried. “That creates a chilling effect.”
“Internal studies produce internal results,” Olivia Webb concluded. “If this can happen in Ellerbe, it can happen anywhere.
“The direction in which this board is being led concerns me, but I believe this is a teachable moment. Set an example, raise your voice, and choose our children.”
Ferrell accepted responsibility for misunderstandings stemming from the March 24 motion.
"I own my mistakes and learn from them going forward," Ferrell said. "I realize there is something I probably should have handled differently," he noted in looking back upon actions leading up to the motion.
The superintendent agreed that he did not fully explain other cost-saving options for addressing the system's budget issues. He noted that Richmond County is among the majority of districts in this state that are facing similar budget issues. Of the state's 115 districts, he said 105 are experiencing declining enrollments which equate to reduced funding.
As it became clear that funding cuts were looming, Ferrell noted, about $2.9 million in reductions were made from budgeted staff positions, system-wide, without any employee actually losing a job. Ferrell expressed satisfaction that Richmond County's reductions have, so far, been met through attrition such as retirements, and personnel leaving the system voluntarily.
About $1.5 million annual budget reductions will be required for the near future. It was noted that annual per pupil costs at Ellerbe Middle are around $1700.00 higher than at other county schools.
Aside from closure of the ninth grade academy, Ferrell noted, the last closure of a county school occurred nine years ago — when the district closed Rohanen Middle and moved students to Cordova. The special needs students who were at Cordova were dispersed among the rest of the schools.
School closures and consolidations are still possibilities here, as those are occurring in other districts in North Carolina. Other considerations include consolidation of athletic teams among county middle schools, and even elimination of non-self sustaining sports.
A lengthy discussion among nearly all board members ensued following the superintendent's comments.
Member Bobbie Sue Ormsby moved to rescind the study and, after discussion and consultation with board attorney Eva DuBuisson, the motion carried 4-3 — with Baldwin, Ormsby, Bess Shuler and Jerry Ethridge in the majority, and Tillman, Satterfield and Daryl Mason against.
Mason cautioned against poor decision-making, citing a similar situation in South Carolina and noting that the state could take over if the district fails to make hard decisions and slips too far into monetary losses.
"Our homework for next month is to bring back ideas to Dr. Ferrell about what studies we want to do," said Satterfield, cautioning against "kicking the can down the road" too long.
William R. Toler contributed to this story.
