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Gaston County school board delays Beam Intermediate closure discussion after parents push for transparency
Summary
At its June 15 meeting the Gaston County Board of Education removed consideration of closing Beam Intermediate from the agenda and heard sustained public comment from parents and students demanding transparency and asking the board to explore alternatives before any school closure.
The Gaston County Board of Education on June 15 voted to adopt an amended agenda that removed a planned discussion about closing Beam Intermediate, after board members and residents urged delay while state and local funding questions are resolved.
The amendment to pull the item was moved and seconded and adopted after discussion; the chair announced two opposed, including board member Mr. Deadmond. Board member Miss Loveless said she understood the need for more funding clarity but worried about the impact on teachers and administrators if a decision were postponed, asking whether an emergency meeting could be called if funding information became available sooner.
During the public comment period, multiple speakers told the board the community needed more transparency and certainty. Britney Elen said, “We are asking you to be transparent and we are asking you to listen to us,” and urged the board to show that “every other solution was considered first.” Substitute teacher and parent Mackenzie Drum described teachers’ and families’ anxiety about the process and said educators “have not received the respect or the support they deserve.”
Several speakers tied the sudden timing of the closure consideration to earlier parental complaints about student access to campus facilities. Jamie Cheryl, speaking as a PTO president and member of the Cherville Education Alliance, said parents were told on March 2 that the district had received a letter about gym access, and then were notified two days later on March 4 that Beam Intermediate was being considered for closure. Cheryl said that sequence raised concerns about the decision-making timeline and asked the board to explain the reasoning and who participated in it.
A student who attends Beam, Ella Cheryl, asked the board directly: “Please do not close my school,” saying Beam had helped her transition to middle school and that “the teachers at Beam care about us.”
Board members did not take a final vote on closing the school at the June 15 meeting. The board chair and other members said they would continue to monitor funding developments and that an emergency meeting could be called if new information required action before the board’s next regular meeting on July 20, 2026.
The record shows parents raised a possible conflict of interest related to athletics facilities and a district employee’s family connection; the board did not resolve those concerns on the record during this meeting and no formal determination was announced.
