Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools may ultimately target closing just one elementary school instead of two, according to discussions during the Board of Education’s work session on Thursday.
Board members heard a presentation from CHCCS staff about the eight criteria approved in March for deeper studies on three elementary schools — Ephesus Elementary School, Glenwood Elementary School and Seawell Elementary School — to help inform the elected officials on potential closures amid a decline in enrollment and district-wide financial constraints. Coming into the evening, Deputy Superintendent of Operations Al Ciarochi had told the board that the finances and capacity levels might suggest closing two of those three schools would be helpful for the district’s long-term vitality.
But on Thursday, he said the latest data gathered during the studies helped further contextualize the issue and reflect the CHCCS’ capability of addressing its capacity challenges through a mix of closure and redistricting. It started with Carolina Demography adding housing data into its projections for student enrollment through 2036 and projecting far less of a net loss of elementary school students (-111) compared to the net loss from the last decade (-1,200), which the population center had previously pulled for the school district…