Brooke Shoffner stepped up to the podium during the Cumberland County school board meeting Tuesday night and described how school consolidation could affect her 5-year-old son who currently attends Beaver Dam Elementary.
Shoffner said a potential closure could mean her son would board a bus as early as 5:30 a.m., traveling roughly 24 miles a day for up to three hours.
Behind her, rows of parents and community members wore Beaver Dam Elementary shirts—a visual reminder that Shoffner was not speaking alone, but on behalf of a school community bracing for the possibility of closure due to consolidation.
Shoffner, who went to the school and now sends her children there, said more than 70% of Beaver Dam students have parents or grandparents who attended—a continuity she fears would be lost if students are reassigned.
“Beaver Dam may be small, but it’s more than a schoolhouse,” Shoffner said. “This place built us.”
Cumberland County Schools began considering school consolidation earlier this year as part of a broader effort to address aging buildings, uneven enrollment and rising operational costs across the district.
The school board hired national consulting firm MGT of America early this year to conduct a comprehensive facilities and utilization study of all 85 schools. District leaders said the goal was to provide an objective, data-driven assessment to guide long-term planning—not to make immediate closure decisions.
The firm was asked to evaluate school buildings, enrollment trends, space usage and operational costs to determine whether the district’s current footprint aligns with projected student populations over the next decade.
“School systems that maintain too many facilities have fewer dollars that reach classrooms,” said Dr. Lance Richards, a senior consultant with MGT of America. “Maintenance funding gets stretched across too many sites, programming and staff become fragmented, and older buildings deteriorate faster than they can be improved.”
How MGT evaluated schools
For facility condition, schools were rated on a 100-point scale based on building age, maintenance needs, structural condition, and technology readiness. Schools with scores below 70 were flagged as having significant facility concerns that could require major renovation or replacement.
MGT also evaluated space utilization, comparing enrollment to a school’s functional capacity.
Finally, the firm calculated operational cost per student, factoring in staffing, utilities, and building maintenance.
District leaders said no single metric determines whether a school is recommended for closure. Schools that appeared repeatedly in consolidation scenarios tended to score poorly across multiple categories.
What ‘at risk’ means—and what it doesn’t
Schools described as “at risk” in the study are not automatically slated for closure.
Instead, consultants said those schools met several criteria that, when combined, made consolidation or restructuring more likely under certain planning scenarios. Those factors include aging facilities, enrollment well below capacity, higher-than-average operating costs and proximity to other schools with available space.
Consultants stressed that all recommendations remain preliminary and subject to board review and community input.
“Facilities planning is a long game,” said Rob Tanner, a director with MGT of America. “When you build a school, it’s likely going to be here 75 years from now. We’re talking about decisions that could shape education well into the next century.”
Schools identified as vulnerable
MGT outlined several schools that could be affected under one or more consolidation or restructuring scenario presented to the board. District officials said the list could change as additional data is reviewed.
Elementary schools
- Beaver Dam Elementary
- Brentwood Elementary
- Sherwood Park Elementary
- Ferguson-Easley Elementary
- Margaret Willis Elementary
- Manchester Elementary
- Stedman Elementary
- Stedman Primary
Middle schools
- Anne Chesnutt Middle School
- Reid Ross Classical School (as a standalone facility)
High schools and specialty programs
- Alger B. Wilkins High School
- E.E. Smith High School (renovation versus replacement under review)
Parents voice concerns
Consultants said Beaver Dam Elementary’s inclusion in consolidation discussions is driven by financial and structural factors, not academic performance.
The school operates in a building that is more than 100 years old and serves fewer than 100 students, making it one of the smallest elementary schools in the district. Its operational cost per student, about $18,800, is nearly double the district average.
“Mainly, it’s just tiny,” Richards told board members. “That’s good for the students who go there—I won’t take that away—but financially, it’s hard to ignore.”
Several speakers challenged whether cost efficiency alone captures what families value.
“Equality is a given,” Shoffner said. “But equity is more complicated. Cost per student matters—but so do outcomes, community, and student success.”
Shoffner said Beaver Dam was the only elementary school in the county to earn an A on state end-of-grade tests while meeting growth goals. She also disputed the assumption that nearby schools could absorb Beaver Dam students, saying the campuses identified in the study were already near capacity.
“They don’t have room,” she said. “What this does is dilute everyone’s education.”
Other speakers questioned whether the study fully addressed overcrowding, economic impact, and long-term planning.
Mela Smith, a Spring Lake resident with professional experience as an analyst, said the study did not clearly explain how closures could affect communities with only one remaining school.
“The study doesn’t address overcrowded schools, economic impact or clear redistricting plans,” she said. “I’m not sure what the starting point was.”
She also questioned why a new E.E. Smith High School—long described as a district priority—is now being weighed against renovation options.
E.E. Smith High School remains one of the most complex decisions outlined in the study. Consultants said the school’s low facility condition score is largely driven by age. Sections of the campus date back to the 1950s, while newer academic wings built in the 1990s remain in better condition.
Board member Dr. Mary Hales asked whether renovating the campus would require removing parts of the school.
In response, Richards said renovation would likely involve a mix of approaches.
“When we talk about renovation, some portions may not be renovated,” he said. “Certain sections may have to be taken down completely, while others could be renovated or replaced.”
Consultants outlined two primary paths: use $160 million in available construction funding to build a new E.E. Smith campus, or redirect that money toward new elementary schools while renovating E.E. Smith instead.
What happens next
District leaders said they will continue to discuss the consolidation study in the coming months, with additional data and community engagement expected before the board considers any formal action.
The Cumberland County Board of Education meets regularly, with meeting schedules, agendas, and public comment information posted on the district’s website.
For families like Shoffner’s, the concern is not just whether schools would close—but whether the changes would leave students better off.
“If the district can’t offer our kids something better than what they already have,” she said, “it shouldn’t be on the table.”
The next school board meeting will be held Jan. 13.
Education reporter Dasia Williams can be reached at dwilliams@cityviewnc.com.