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Residents, longtime educators urge Gates County to keep Buckland Elementary open
Summary
Two longtime educators and residents urged the Gates County commissioners to halt plans to repurpose or close Buckland Elementary, called for a transparent consolidation plan, and warned of cultural losses and community harm if closures proceed without broader public input.
Longtime educators and community members urged Gates County commissioners on Monday to reconsider plans to repurpose or close Buckland Elementary and to postpone any change until a detailed, public consolidation plan is presented.
In public comment, a former school principal (addressed in the meeting as Gregor) described decades in local schools and urged commissioners to "keep all 3 schools for '26 and '27 with the support of the county commissioners," saying the community would support additional taxes to preserve buildings if needed.
Rose Taylor Lee, a 29-year veteran teacher representing the Reynoldson District, told the board she had researched neighboring districts and asked whether Gates County had done a complete audit of positions and a clear comparison of staffing and spending. She cited district records during her remarks: "According to last year's school report card, Buckland Elementary scored a 57, not a 49," and she said Buckland scored highest on a recent teacher working-condition survey.
Lee warned that closing Buckland would "dismantle a staff that's poured their hearts into children every day" and emphasized the school's role in African American history and community identity. "A school is community, history, relationships, pride, and home," she said, urging the board to "slow down, reevaluate this decision, explore every possible alternative, listen to the voices of this community" and present a public, concrete long-term plan before any closure.
Both speakers said decisions made by a small voting majority in prior school-board action left some Buckland-area families feeling unrepresented; they asked county leaders to use their influence to ensure broader review and transparent public engagement before finalizing school-structure changes.
What happens next: Commissioners acknowledged the comments and said the full budget review and possible consolidation alternatives will be addressed in the June 3 work session; neither board adopted a decision during the meeting.
