HAMLET — The Richmond County Board of Education approved a recommendation last week to begin a school consolidation study focused on the county’s middle schools.
The study will examine financial impacts, academic programming, redistricting scenarios, enrollment balance, transition costs and a potential timeline. The action does not finalize any school closures but allows district staff to gather data and explore options.
“A building is important. I absolutely get that— but our students need more than a place. They deserve pathways and equitable resources. So what I’m asking you all tonight is to not to approve the closing of Ellerbe Middle School,” Superintendent Joe Ferrell said. “I want to be very clear that we’re not talking about the 26-27 school year. I’m asking you for permission to move forward with getting together the school closure study, so that you have not just estimates, but real numbers and real information that I can bring back to you once that is done for your consideration to move forward with closing Ellerbe Middle School after the 26-27 school year.”
Options discussed include closing Ellerbe Middle School and redistributing students to other middle schools, constructing a new middle school in the future or consolidating into fewer campuses. Facility expansions at existing schools could also be considered pending further analysis.
Ellerbe Middle School is currently the smallest in the district, with a capacity of about 300 students and 193 enrolled. Cordova Middle follows, with a capacity of 345 and 238 students enrolled. Hamlet Middle has a capacity of about 500, with 417 students enrolled, while Rockingham Middle is the largest, with a capacity of 760 and 565 students enrolled.
Ferrell said smaller schools face limitations that directly affect students.
“The current reality at our two smallest middle schools— which would be Ellerbe and Cordova, of course, is limited course selection,” said Ferrell. “Smaller enrollments limit the number of course sections that can be offered. This is not necessarily about dollars and cents—this is talking about what’s available to our students.”
Ferrell continued, “Program enhancement, part-time art, media coordinator, once a week instructional coach and some other staffing issues, athletics participation numbers can make it difficult to consistently field teams for every athletic program. We had some combination teams this current school year.”
He said feedback from students and parents highlights those concerns.
“Our electives are very minimal… We really don’t have much,” said a middle school student.
“It’s like we’re always on the second burner… but our kids are just as important,” a middle school parent said.
“We only have either band, music, or computers. I mean, that’s really our only option,” said a middle school student.
“What those people are really saying is: We want the same things at our school that students have at larger middle schools, and certainly we think that they deserve that. The problem is how to pay for that,” Ferrell said.
According to Ferrell, the district spends about $1,700 more per student annually at Ellerbe Middle School than at the other middle schools, totaling about $330,000 each year due to declining enrollment. He said the district could save more than $1.6 million annually if the school were to close, not including avoided capital and operational costs.
With a potential closure, additional costs would include redistricting, moving expenses and building preparations, along with about $40,000 annually in transportation.
Board member Ronald Tillman raised questions about how the community would be informed.
“So what happens as far as a conversation with those folks that live in the Ellerbe community? At some point it’s got to be some kind of transparency in letting them know what position we are in financially and the reason why we’re kind of thinking along these lines so they can kind of maybe absorb it a little bit better if this is the route we going to go,” said Tillman.
Eva DuBuisson, attorney for the Board of Education, explained the legal process required before any closure.
“There’s not a prescribed order, but often it’s helpful to have the study first because the study won’t be public and so for the community to receive that information and then hold the public hearing. It’s also common to have the public hearing at the community instead of in the board room,” DuBuisson said.
Chairman Cory Satterfield said he has firsthand experience with the challenges of smaller schools.
“I was a principal of Ellerbe Middle School, so I know what those children don’t get being at a small school. I know what those teachers don’t get being at a small school because they can’t plan with anybody,” Satterfield said. “They can’t do the things that they want to and unless we’re going to find money somewhere else, we’ve got a choice. We can either do a study or we can drastically cut positions and people will start losing their jobs because that’s the only other way we can do it.”
“We’ve lost what? $3 million in two years in fund balance,” said Satterfield. “Some hard decisions will have to be made.”
Board members also discussed concerns about transportation and travel times for students in rural parts of the county.
“That’s my biggest concern. Richmond County is 479 miles and the bulk of that is on the northern end of the county, where it goes and hooks at left going to Magnum. From the Magnum Community Building to Rock Middle is 23 miles,” said board member Scotty Baldwin. “It is a 30 minute drive nonstop, no traffic. That’s charging a parent an hour a day to take a kid to school and pick them up from school. The financial side, I completely understand. I just have a very hard time with an hour a day.”
“I see all the financial problems, but I want every child to get the same thing— that is I think everybody’s desire,” said Vice Chair Bobbie Sue Orsmby.
The board voted to move forward with the study, emphasizing that no final decision has been made and that public input will be part of the process.
“Again, I want to make sure the public is aware that this is just to do a study. This has nothing to with saying ‘Oh, Ellerbe Middle School is closing.’ It’s not. It’s trying to see if the numbers that Dr. Ferrell has come up with and his staff are true numbers and then where do we go from there,” Satterfield said.
“We’re in a season of tough leadership decisions,” said Ferrell.
Questions regarding the study can be sent through a Google form provided by Richmond County Schools at https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfCABlOR24XkGRU61LXN7VBbBLDGx2qBhMDamCgmvfM08WLpQ/viewform.