AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.<\/p>\n
Read our AI Policy.<\/a><\/p>\n Over 50 Chapel Hill-Carrboro parents, students and staff made a last-ditch effort Thursday to save their elementary school from the chopping block if the board moves ahead with a planned June 4 vote.<\/p>\n Read more Does Silicone Have Microplastics? Here’s What Scientists Are Saying<\/a><\/p>\n Some urged the board to focus solely on declining enrollment and cost-savings in making a decision. Others questioned the need to close a school at all and asked for a more public debate.<\/p>\n \u201cWe are hearing presentations, seeing criteria and reviewing reports, but we still do not understand how those pieces connect into a clear and defensible recommendation,\u201d said Tiffany Englert, an Ephesus Elementary School parent and PTA president.<\/p>\n \u201cHonestly, when there were so few questions or discussion at the [May 7] meeting after the criteria presentation, that felt deeply concerning,\u201d she said. \u201cThese decisions are enormous. You\u2019re talking about closing schools permanently and forever changing CHCCS.\u201d<\/p>\n Ephesus, Glenwood and Seawell elementary schools are facing possible closure after several years of declining enrollment that\u2019s adding to district budget pressures. Earlier this month, the board got a staff report on several criteria<\/u><\/a>, from future maintenance costs and enrollment trends to effects on specific groups of at-risk students.<\/p>\n The plan is to close a school by August 2027, and have a redistricting plan ready by winter, officials said. Board Chair Riza Jenkins encouraged everyone to think about how they can support the school that closes.<\/p>\n \u201cEven if it\u2019s another school in the district \u2026 even if you\u2019re a high school parent, or you\u2019re a community member, what would you need if it were your school,\u201d she asked. And \u201cthen think about redistricting, because \u2026 it\u2019s going to be tough, but we are in this together, all of us.\u201d<\/p>\n Scores of people have spoken and sent emails to the board since January. Here are a few of many comments Thursday:<\/p>\n Glenwood is not just a building or a world languages program<\/b>, parents and students emphasized. It\u2019s one of the district\u2019s most utilized schools, and was not identified for closure<\/a> in a county report, Jennifer Tang said.<\/p>\n Her family, like many others, chose Glenwood for the Mandarin program and the \u201cstrong focus on diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging,\u201d she said, contrasting it with her experience as one of only two Asian-American students in her Indiana school.<\/p>\n \u201cI was ashamed of looking different, stopped speaking Mandarin at home, and tried to avoid associating with other people of Chinese descent when I was in college,\u201d she said. \u201cChinese people are often viewed with disdain in this country, being told to go back to where they came from, even if they were born here, like me.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cFor these reasons, it is so meaningful to me that my son can now attend a school where his Chinese culture is celebrated and honored by people of many different colors, religious affiliations and backgrounds,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n Ephesus is also a tight-knit school<\/b>, surrounded by single-family neighborhoods and new apartment construction, parents said. It earned the district\u2019s highest test score growth in 2025 and expects enrollment to reach 95% capacity over the next decade.<\/p>\n The school also has many economically disadvantaged, exceptional, and minority students, \u201cwho are especially vulnerable to disruption,\u201d said school librarian Bailey Normann.<\/p>\n Read more Matt Lauria Addresses Whether There Are Plans for Possible ‘Kingdom’ Reunion<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cClosing Ephesus would not just move students from one building to another, it would disrupt a functioning school community, trusted relationships, and a support structure that is working for the students who need stability most,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n Seawell is also \u201ca diverse and high-performing school,\u201d<\/b> parent Katie Holland said. She and others noted the outdoor learning environment and the proximity to Smith Middle and Chapel Hill High schools. Older students regularly engage with younger peers via programs and volunteer opportunities.<\/p>\n She and her husband, an incoming middle school teacher, \u201dadore this district,\u201d Holland said.<\/p>\n \u201cWe moved back to Chapel Hill, and we\u2019re thrilled that my oldest was able to begin kindergarten in the district,\u201d she said, urging \u201cthe board to recognize the impact that this situation has had on all three of these school communities.\u201d<\/p>\n Closing one school could save $1.7 million a year, in addition to $10 million to $15 million in maintenance and repairs, CHCCS staff members have said.<\/p>\n The board needs \u201cto figure out what is best for the long-term health of our district,\u201d member Meredith Ballew said.<\/p>\n \u201cWhile this is painful for all of us, and I know it is for all of the public, this is something that we need to get through, so we can get to the other side and start thinking about what we want to be,\u201d Ballew said.<\/p>\n The district has \u201camazing\u201d schools that are \u201cworking, and each one offers unique strengths that contribute to the district as a whole,\u201d board member Rani Dasi said. But the district is facing challenges, she and board member George Griffin emphasized.<\/p>\n Without action now, \u201cwe\u2019re just going to have this discussion and the tension next year, or in two years, or three years,\u201d Griffin said. \u201cThere\u2019s nothing on the horizon that says things are going to dramatically get better and fill all these seats.\u201d<\/p>\n An advisory group of teachers and parents could help with the transition, Superintendent Rodney Trice said.<\/p>\n \u201cI just think we\u2019re at a point where we can\u2019t do this alone as an administration or a board, and we\u2019re going to need a lot of advice,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Redistricting is possible regardless, so staff will also start planning new bus routes and staffing changes. Trice said the situation gives CHCCS an opportunity to be innovative and pursue \u201cexcellence.<\/u>\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n