Guilford County Schools considers four elementary school closures due to low enrollment

Guilford County Schools is proposing to close four elementary schools over the next two academic years due in part to low enrollment. 

The four schools up for closure are Madison, Southern, Vandalia and Washington Elementary. 

Deputy Superintendent of Business and Operations Julius Monk says the first two were recommended for closure back in 2019, since they’re about half the size of standard elementary schools. 

Vandalia and Washington were recommended to be rebuilt for a larger student capacity, but neither has the enrollment to support it. And Monk says the district as a whole is seeing declines. 

“So what’s happening to us is, it's an older population that's moving in. They're not necessarily bringing students or having students when they’re here," Monk said. "And then we have a larger percentage of students that are here attending charter schools versus Guilford County Schools.”

Officials say while closings aren’t ideal, maintaining underutilized schools hurts the district’s already tight budget. They estimate the changes would save $1.7 million annually in operating costs. 

A public hearing on the proposal is scheduled for June 10. The community can also provide feedback on the plan here. 

Amy Diaz covers education for WFDD in partnership with Report For America. You can follow her on Twitter at @amydiaze.