It could be the beginning of the end of an era for decades of elementary school students in Richmond County.

The Board of Education will consider a resolution to set the date for a public hearing on whether or not to change the focus of Ashley Chapel Elementary and close the elementary school in Hoffman.

The meeting is set for 7 p.m. at the district’s central office in Hamlet. If approved, the public hearing would be June 2.

Under the plan, Ashley Chapel will become the Richmond County Transitional School, and its students will attend the new Chalk Road Elementary School in the 2010-11 school year as part of the county school realignment plan.

The board recently approved a $10.5 million contract with Shelco Inc. to build the new school.

Students who now attend Ashley Chapel will attend Cordova next year, if the board approves, and the students of those two schools, plus Rohanen Primary, will attend Chalk Road Elementary in the 2010-11 school year.

The total cost of the project, if the board adopts all the recommendations of Associate Superintendent Dr. Robert Beck, would be more than $13 million.

The Hoffman school site has been slated for retirement due to the age of the facility. The Richmond County Transitional School is currently housed there, but would move to Ashley Chapel, and Ashley Chapel will become the transitional school if the measure is passed.

Should everything go as planned, Cordova would take the students from Roberdel Children’s Center when Chalk Road opens, and Rohanen Primary would become a pre-kindergarden and day care facility.

Hoffman and Roberdel Children’s Center are the only two buildings that would no longer be used for school purposes under the plan.

The board will also hear an update on Richmond Early College High School from Principal Lawanda Walker.

Angela Williams will also update the board on exchange students in the county school district.

RCS Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum and Instruction Dr. Michael Perry will present the board with a School Improvement Plan that will require action.

The plan deals with strategies to improve student performance on end-of-grade standardized testing.

Other policies will be considered for updates as well. The board has been in this process for a number of months in order to fulfill a legal obligation.

A closed session is also on the agenda for the board to consult with its attorney, George Crump, before adjournment.