Gates County board votes to close Buckland Elementary, reassign students to Gatesville and T.S. Cooper

The Gates County Board of Education voted on March 17 to close Buckland Elementary School at the end of the 2025-26 school year and reassign its students to Gatesville Elementary School and T.S. Cooper Elementary School for the 2026-27 year.

Chair Lesley Byron read a formal resolution citing North Carolina General Statute 115C-72 and detailing the district's plan: adopt revised attendance zones, notify families and the NC Department of Public Instruction, transfer student records, coordinate transportation, and direct the superintendent to work with principals and human resources on staffing reassignments or reductions in accordance with law and board policy. "Beginning with the 26-27 school year, Buckland Elementary shall no longer operate as an elementary school," the chair read as part of the resolution.

The board debated the move before voting. Members said declining student enrollment and rising operating costs left the district with few options. Board members referenced a prior reclassification request and other one-time expenditures the district used to lift low-performing schools, and said those costs and a shrinking ADM contributed to the shortfall. One member recounted a past reclassification request of $828,000 as part of the district's effort to address low-performance designations.

Board member Sally Ryan described operational and programmatic reasons that influenced her support, including major capital needs at one campus, limitations in kitchen space at another, and state pre-K licensing considerations. She said some bus routes would be modestly longer for affected students, noting an average of about six additional minutes in the morning and roughly five minutes in the afternoon for students living furthest from Gatesville.

On a separate motion, the board moved to keep Gatesville Elementary open and to house pre-K and the Head Start program currently located at Oakland there; that motion passed by voice vote (recorded in the meeting as two in favor, one opposed). The subsequent resolution to close Buckland was then moved, seconded, and adopted by the board. The chair asked that board members be provided a copy of the adopted resolution for signature.

The board also accepted, by motion, the resignation of a seated member (referred to in the record as Mr. Riddick), and set a special called meeting for March 25 at 6:00 p.m. to induct an appointee (referred to in the record as Miss Le) to bring the board back up to four members and to discuss filling the remainder of the vacated term. The appointment approved that night will run through Nov. 30; the transcript records that the winner of the election will take office Dec. 1.

The resolution directs the superintendent or designee to prepare revised attendance boundaries for formal adoption and to provide opportunities for public comment in accordance with law and board policy. It also requires a communication plan to notify families about new school assignments, transportation details, and available support services for student transitions.

The meeting closed after a short adjournment vote. Chair Byron characterized the decision as financial rather than personal and said the board would work to support affected staff and students during the transition.

Next steps: the board will hold the March 25 work session to induct the appointee and discuss the process to fill the remaining board term; the superintendent is charged with presenting revised attendance zones and a communication plan for families ahead of the 2026-27 school year.