Up to 5 Fayette schools may be candidates for closure, BoE says

he Fayette County Board of Education late this summer will consider closing up to four elementary schools and a middle school to help offset falling tax revenues.

The school board at the conclusion of the May 2 workshop left Superintendent Jeff Bearden with instructions to provide information on the potential closure of Fayette Middle School, Fayetteville Intermediate School, Hood Avenue Primary School, Tyrone Elementary and Brooks Elementary schools. The closure options will also include opening Rivers Elementary School.

Bearden in April had proposed to close Fayette Middle, Hood Avenue Primary and Fayetteville Intermediate and open Rivers Elementary as a way to help offset the school system that is facing significant decreasing revenues from plummeting local tax revenues and falling student enrollment that generates approximately $4,000 per student from state sources.

Each of the schools initially proposed for closure are located in the Fayetteville school board district represented by Bob Todd who, unlike at least three of the remaining four board members, is not up for reelection this year.

The discussion among board members at the May 2 workshop ended with Bearden being asked to develop four optional closure plans for consideration. Those include:

1. Beardens original proposal for closing Fayette Middle, Hood Avenue Primary and Fayetteville Intermediate and opening Rivers;

2. Beardens proposal and closing Tyrone Elementary;

3. Beardens proposal and closing Brooks Elementary; or

4. Beardens proposal and closing both Tyrone and Brooks.

The May 2 meeting was scheduled to hear the details behind Beardens April recommendation to close Fayette Middle, Hood Avenue and Fayetteville Intermediate and open Rivers Elementary northwest of the city.

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Up to 5 Fayette schools may be candidates for closure, BoE says