The Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools' board of education voted 4-to-3 on Thursday to study the impacts of closing Ephesus, Seawell, or Glenwood elementary schools. Based on that study, they'll later choose which schools to close, and the closures would happen in fall 2027 at the earliest.
Two more schools, Frank Porter Graham and Estes Hills, had also been floated for consideration at the previous two school board meetings. On Thursday, board members chose not to include them in the study because the board had voted last year to rebuild those schools with funds from a local bond referendum approved by voters.
"I think we as a board need to be data driven, but we also need to be decisive," said board member Barbara Fedders, who introduced the motion to study only three schools for closure.
"It is clear that this process has been very painful for many in our community," said board member Meredith Ballew as she explained her vote. "During our bond discussions, we engaged in a robust process that considered facility condition, long-range capital planning, and fiscal sustainability. I believe that those factors remain relevant here. "
The two schools that have been spared from the closure study had been identified during the prior bond planning as being suitable for students to attend while replacement school buildings are built, aiding in those construction projects.
Board member Rani Dasi was among those who voted against the motion and supported including more schools in the study.
"The capital improvement plan also made commitments to Ephesus, Glenwood and Seawell, and if our objective is to maximize financial benefits, why would we, as a board, limit the options that we can even consider that are available to us?" Dasi said.
Under state law, before a school district can begin to close a school, it must conduct a study on the effects that the closure and consolidation of students will have. The school board also voted this week to define criteria for that study, which will inform its final decision on which schools to close.
Why CHHCS is closing schools
Closing schools could save the district millions of dollars on maintaining aging buildings by redistricting students and staff to under-enrolled schools.
Like many school districts across the state and country, Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools is facing budget pressures because of rising operational costs and declining student enrollment.
The district has 292 fewer students this year compared to last year, which translates to about a $2.4 million loss in total funding because many funds are allotted on a per-student basis.
As enrollment is projected to fall and Orange County weighs changes to its school funding model, the school district expects to need between $3.6 to $8 million total in savings in the upcoming years to maintain a balanced budget.
The school board has received consultation from Carolina Demography about its falling enrollment, which the demographers attribute primarily due to a low birth rate and a difficult housing market for families in Chapel Hill and Carrboro, in addition to some families choosing other school options.
