Gaston County school board members will vote Monday on whether to shut down W.B. Beam Intermediate School. The closure aims to fix a $288,000 budget gap for next year. Parents and teachers showed up Thursday night during a public hearing, hoping to keep the building open.
District leaders have two options if the closure happens. One would send fourth-grade students to Cherryville Elementary School, creating a K-5 model. The other would push fifth-grade students into Chavis Middle School earlier than usual.
Superintendent Morgen Houchard said the district must weigh geographical conditions and brace for fewer students. Officials say W.B. Beam was built to handle overcrowding, but growth has stalled. Demand has dropped in the Cherryville area…