Robeson County Schools to immediately close four schools, repurpose fifth

Some students in Robeson County may be forced to attend new schools this fall.

The school board voted Tuesday to accelerate plans to close four elementary and middle schools and repurpose South Robeson High School. Scott Bigelow with The Robesonian reports the schools which will close immediately are Janie C. Hargrave Elementary in Lumberton, R.B. Dean Elementary in Maxton and Rowland Middle School and Green Grove Elementary, both located near Fairmont.

South Roberson High School will be the new home for Rowland and Fairgrove students. Students who attended South Robeson, who numbered fewer than 450, will now go to Fairmont, Lumberton or Purnell Swett high schools.

In Lumberton, Hargrave students would be consolidated into W.H. Knuckles Elementary, which would become a pre-K to third-grade school. L. Gilbert Carroll Middle School would serve only fourth and fifth graders. Lumberton Junior High School would be open for grades six through eight. In Maxton, R.B. Dean students would join Townsend Middle School students at a pre-K to eighth-grade school.

Robeson County Schools Superintendent Shanita Wooten called for consolidation and closures to take place in 2020-21 but school board members decided now was the time to act. The vote to make the move was unanimous among nine board members. Two were absent.

The move would be delayed if there are issues with safety, transportation and staffing problems, Bigelow reports. It would be the first consolidation within the system since it was formed 30 years ago, according to the school system’s website.

The school system is dealing with a close to $2 million operating deficit from the 2018-19 school year. Wooten said with 150 teacher vacancies, there should be no issue moving teachers and staff into new positions without the fear of layoffs.