The May 29th School Board Meeting on the Closing of S. W. Snowden | Eastern NC Now

The May 29th School Board Meeting on the Closing of S. W. Snowden

BY:  DAVE HUDSON

The Beaufort County School Board held a meeting on May 29th at Southside High School to hear public comments about the proposed closing of the S. W. Snowden school in Aurora.  There were more than 150 people in attendance, with the School Board members and the Superintendent seated on stage in the auditorium.  Attendees were required to sign up prior to the start of the meeting if they wished to provide comments to the board.

The first person to speak was Adam O’Neal, the former mayor of Belhaven.  He asked the audience how many people in attendance were in favor of keeping Snowden open by a show of hands.  Everyone in the audience raised their hand.  He then asked how many people in attendance were in favor of closing the school.  Nobody in the audience raised their hand.  That presented a clear message to the board and superintendent about the feelings of the public regarding the closing of Snowden.

However, Mr. O’Neal wasn’t the only speaker.  Many other citizens of Beaufort County, not just from Aurora or the south side of the county, spoke out as well.  These comments focused on the lack of transparency on the part of the board and superintendent.  A lot of discussion and concerns focused on the long bus ride children will have to endure to attend school in Chocowinity and the detrimental impact this will have on the students and families.  Concerns over bullying of these children were expressed.  The mayor of Aurora, Clif Williams, spoke regarding the detrimental impact that closing the school would have on the town as well as the potential for economic development in the area.  Other residents voiced similar concerns in addition to the board lacking any long-term strategic plan.  In fact, it was stated that the board pirated the strategic plan for Aurora to use as a template for creating one for themselves after it was presented to them earlier this year.

An apparent, and stated issue was the location and time that this meeting was held.  It began at 5:30 at Southside High School.  This was not conducive for the population that will be impacted most to attend the meeting.  Whether this was done on purpose or not is up for public debate.  The public certainly seemed to think so although the board tried to make excuses or reasons to the contrary.

Following the end of public comment, school board member Charles Hickman, who represents the Aurora district expressed concerns that there was not enough transparency on the part of the superintendent or the board to make a decision.  This was specific to the information and data available to make an informed decision in addition to following state statute concerning the procedures required to close the school.  School board member Stacey Davis also spoke about a lack of transparency and information that is needed for the board to make a truly informed decision about whether or not to close the school.  She also mentioned postponing the date of the vote in order to allow the board members the time to receive and review the requested information.

The school board announced at the meeting that it is planning to vote on closing Snowden at the regular board meeting on Tuesday, June 3rd at 5:30 PM.  This will take place at the Beaufort County PD Center located on 845 North Pierce Street in Washington.  The cost of education in the county will increase if the school is closed.  It is not true that money will be saved.  That assumption is based on incomplete data and information provided by the superintendent.  The real issue related to Snowden is the contest in public education over school consolidation versus neighborhood schools and what is more beneficial to our communities.  It is highly encouraged to attend Tuesday’s board meeting and bring as many people who oppose the decision to close the school as possible.  A strong showing of public support is of great importance in order to save the school and show the school board, yet again, that they are making the wrong decision.