CONCORD, N.C. — The Cabarrus County Schools board is holding a public hearing on Monday, Jan. 29, about the proposed closure of neighborhood school Beverly Hills Elementary School.
The meeting is from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the CCS Education Center boardroom, at 4401 Old Airport Road in Concord.
This meeting stems from the school board’s realignment plan.
“The Charlotte area is one of the largest and fastest growing areas in the state of North Carolina, and that has definitely impacted us,” Superintendent Dr. John Kopicki said. “We try to look at that evidence of the growth that has impacted our school system and make good decisions as to where we think we need to build new schools in the future.”
According to the Cabarrus County Schools system, enrollment has grown by over 17% over the last decade, which has been accompanied by 10 new schools being built.
The current plan to address projected growth for the next 10 years includes a proposal to close Beverly Hill Elementary School. The school has been a neighborhood school since the 50s, currently enrolling 328 students.
The Shuman family has taken the three-minute walk to school for 15 years, as their three kids have grown up. Their youngest, Lex Shuman, is currently a fifth grader.
“It’s been a pleasure,” Lee Shuman said. “It’s been a privilege honestly to be this close to a school and have people that support your kids and watch them come home. It just feels safe.”
Shuman says the connection between families, teachers and students is not something that can easily be rebuilt at another location.
Part of the school board’s long-range plan includes closing Beverly Hills Elementary School and disbursing the kids to three other schools in the district. Coltrane-Webb Elementary school, 2.5 miles away, is also on the plan to close.
According to the school board, the N.C. Department of Public Instruction’s analysis formula of the school buildings showed poor feasibility to renovate. The proposed plan would build a larger school on the site of Coltrane-Webb Elementary, with the potential of opening in fall of 2026.
Shuman is not convinced that all options to keep resources in the community for kids who live there have not been exhausted.
“I think the most discouraging thing is people in this area have been paying taxes for 50 years, 60 years and they don’t see the investment in their community being made. Now they are told, you’re going to have to pay more taxes in July - taxes are going to go up - that doesn’t sit well with people,” Shuman said.
Seven years ago, the same school was in jeopardy of closing, but parents opposed it. They created “save our school” signs to stick in their yard and voiced concerns to the school board. They were successful.
Now, neighbors are pulling those same signs back out and asking the school board not to close the school yet again.
“We kind of felt like the last time we had won this thing that people were going to do what they said they were going to do. They were finally going to fix the issues at the school, or build a new school, and we were going to have that for years to come for not just my family, but for all the people in this neighborhood. That hasn’t happened,” Shuman said.
Following the public hearing, Dr. Kopicki says the board will discuss what they learn from, potentially making a vote whether to close the school at the Feb. 5 or Feb. 12 meeting.
“I think you need to listen to your public. I don’t think you’re always going to come to a complete consensus or agreement, but I think it’s important to hear what they have to say in case there is something we may have missed, maybe information we haven’t considered,” Kopicki said.
Those interested in addressing the school board must sign up to do so with the board clerk by noon Monday.