After weeks of emotional pleas from parents, educators, and Spring Lake leaders, the Cumberland County Board of Education voted Tuesday to close J.W. Coon and Manchester elementary schools ahead of the 2026–27 school year.
The two votes—each 5-3—followed months of debate over aging facilities, declining enrollment, and long-term budget pressures, despite repeated objections from families who warned the closures would disrupt students and dismantle neighborhood school communities.
Board members Susan Williams, Greg West, Jacquelyn Brown, Delores Bell, and Jackie Warner voted in favor of both closures, while Deanna Jones, Mary Hales and Terra Jordan voted against them. Board member Judy Musgrave was absent from the meeting.
The votes cap a monthslong closing and consolidation process that included public hearings, community meetings, and districtwide facilities planning aimed at addressing more than $800 million in building needs. District leaders have repeatedly argued the closures are necessary as Cumberland County Schools grapple with declining enrollment, aging campuses and a projected budget deficit.
District data presented during the consolidation process showed J.W. Coon Elementary, built in 1963, was operating at roughly 56% capacity, with 188 students in a building designed for 333 and an estimated annual operating cost of more than $16,000 per student. The district estimated the school would require roughly $4.5 million in repairs, including more than $1.6 million over the next seven years.
Manchester Elementary, built in 1967, was operating at about 72% capacity with 295 students in a building designed for 407. The school received an “unsatisfactory” facility condition score from district consultants, with nearly $6 million in projected repair costs and more than $2.1 million in deferred maintenance needs over seven years.
With the closure, J.W. Coon students will move to Brentwood and Sherwood Park elementary schools beginning in the 2026–27 school year while the district plans and constructs a new elementary school on the J.W. Coon campus. District documents estimate construction could begin during the 2027–28 school year and take more than two years to complete.
Manchester students will be reassigned to W.T. Brown and Ponderosa elementary schools beginning in the 2026–27 school year.
The vote comes after emotional public hearings held at both schools in April, where parents, educators, and local leaders urged the board to reconsider. They argued the closures would destabilize students, strain transportation, and weaken deeply rooted school communities—particularly in Spring Lake. Residents there warned that Manchester Elementary serves as a cornerstone for military-connected families.
‘A Sustainable Long-Term Solution’
Vice Chair Jacquelyn Brown, who supported both closures, said the district’s decision followed years of study and community engagement, and was necessary to stabilize the school district financially.
Brown traced the process back to September 2023, when the board approved a consultant-led facilities assessment across the district. She said the board later voted unanimously in March 2025 to move forward with school consolidation and redistricting efforts informed by that study, followed by community engagement throughout fall 2025.
“This decision before us is not about a single school,” Brown said. “They are about the long-term stability of an entire school district.”
Brown said the district is serving 1,242 fewer students than in previous years, resulting in nearly $10 million less in state funding. She also pointed to a roughly $5 million budget deficit, declining fund balance reserves and the end of federal pandemic relief funding.
According to Brown, district projections estimated school closings could generate between roughly $475,000 and $630,000 in recurring annual savings per school—money she said could help preserve staffing and student services.
“We are balancing deep history, identity, emotional connection of school community, with our responsibility to ensure a strong and sustainable future for all students across Cumberland County Schools,” Brown said.
‘Fix It, or Build a New One’
Jones, who voted against both closures, argued the district moved too quickly and failed to fully assess the risks associated with closing schools.
Drawing on her military background, Jones compared the decision to a large-scale operation requiring a detailed risk assessment.
“In my opinion, we did not have the proper time to do a risk assessment on the big operation of closing and consolidating schools,” Jones said.
Jones specifically voiced concerns about closing Manchester Elementary, arguing the district had not fully accounted for Spring Lake’s projected growth, the school’s importance to military families, and the emotional toll of displacement on students.
“Either fix it or build a new one,” Jones said. “Spring Lake is a growing community, and it would be devastating to tear that community apart.”
Jones said families expressed concern about younger students transitioning to new schools and fifth graders spending their final elementary school year in unfamiliar environments.
‘We Are Playing with Fire’
Jordan, who voted against both closures, argued schools provide far more than classroom instruction and serve as anchors for neighborhood identity and family involvement.
“A school is not just a building,” Jordan said. “It is a safe place where students learn, grow, build relationships and prepare for their future.”
Jordan pointed to concerns surrounding transportation, emotional impacts on students and staff, overcrowding, and community stability.
“Why now?” Jordan said. “Why are we doing this now?”
Hales, who also voted against both closures, spent much of the discussion questioning whether the district was moving too quickly before fully securing long-term funding for future construction and consolidation plans.
Hales said one of her biggest concerns centered on whether the county would fund new schools and whether the district had fully accounted for transportation, staffing, and long-term enrollment growth—particularly in Spring Lake, where families pointed to ongoing residential development near Manchester Elementary.
Hales also questioned whether the district could guarantee future staffing levels or predict how reassigned schools may absorb additional students if construction timelines shift.
“Do we have the funds to build these schools and for the consolidations? No, we do not,” Hales said. “The funds are not in our hands.”
Hales compared the district’s approach to “putting the cart before the horse,” arguing the board was making irreversible decisions before having guaranteed resources available.
“If we’re putting the cart before the horse, and it doesn’t come out the way that’s been told to us that it’s going to come out, and we’re moving students and making all of these plans—how is that going to make this board look?” Hales said.
Hales said she worried families could face unnecessary disruption if funding plans stall or projected outcomes fail to materialize.
“We are playing with fire here,” Hales said. “We are rushing, putting the cart before the horse, and I do feel haste makes waste.”
Hales also questioned whether the district had fully accounted for transportation costs, staffing losses, and future enrollment growth in Spring Lake.
“Have we considered the emotional stress and anxiety that this closure will bring upon our students and their parents?” Hales said. “More importantly, have we conducted a thorough analysis of the number of employment positions we will truly be able to maintain? We cannot foresee that.”
Hales ended the discussion by cautioning board members against making promises to families about reassigned schools or future facilities before funding is secured.
“This board, as a public entity, should be very careful as to statements we make to parents regarding the new schools their children will be attending if this process becomes a reality,” Hales said. “We cannot predict how their children will feel in these new schools.”
She added that the district should also be cautious about publicly discussing future school buildings before funding is finalized.
“We have to be careful not to misrepresent ourselves,” Hales said.
