The Cumberland County Board of Education approved a series of changes to its school choice program Thursday, though a proposal to move a Spanish immersion program failed.
The school board voted 4-4 to move Spanish immersion from E.E. Miller Elementary School to W.H. Owen Elementary School for the 2027-28 school year. The tie means the measure failed. Board members Greg West, Susan Williams, Delores Bell, and Jackie Warner voted to move the program. Jacquelyn Brown, Deanna Jones, Mary Hales, and Terra Jordan voted against it.
The board approved a new Spanish-English dual-language program at three schools, changes to the grades served at Glendale Acres and Ashley elementary schools, and a year-round track at Lewis Chapel Middle School if Anne Chesnutt Middle School closes.
They also voted to end Cumberland Road Elementary School’s Montessori program, rename two existing programs, add a hospitality and tourism program at Terry Sanford High School, and submit a proposal for a new health sciences early college to the state.
The decisions came six days after parents and board members questioned the proposed changes, including whether E.E. Miller families had been given enough time to respond to the possible loss of Spanish immersion.
New Choices on the Horizon
The board unanimously approved a Spanish-English dual-language program at Glendale Acres Elementary, Ashley Elementary, and Max Abbott Middle School. The district plans to begin with kindergarten at Glendale Acres in 2027-28, add the program at Ashley in 2029-30, and expand it to Max Abbott in 2033. Families would apply to participate.
To make room, Glendale Acres will drop second grade in 2027-28 and only serve kindergarten and first grade. Ashley will add second grade, changing from grades three through five to grades two through five. Both votes were unanimous.
Tonya Williams Leathers, the district’s chief academic officer, said Glendale Acres is at or slightly above capacity and needs space for dual-language classrooms, while Ashley has room for additional students. Glendale Acres has 262 students with a capacity of 236, according to a 2025 study. Ashley has 163 students and a capacity of 289.
When Hales asked whether parents had been informed about the dual-language plan, Leathers said they had not and would learn about it at the district’s choice fair. Assistant Superintendent Lavette Braswell said officials would arrange meetings to discuss the transition after the board’s approval.
“My only concern is that we are doing this after we have made the decision,” Hales said. “We are not being proactive by letting the parents know first.”
The board voted 7-1 to end Cumberland Road Elementary’s Montessori program in 2027-28, with Hales opposed.
Braswell said she had spoken with the school’s principal and that the program is primarily centered on pre-K, with about 10 students this year. She also raised concerns about whether continuing Montessori through elementary grades would allow teachers to cover the material students need for grade-level assessments.
In other unanimous votes, the board approved changing Cumberland International Early College High School’s name to Cumberland Early College for Science and Technology and renaming Douglas Byrd High School’s Academy of Green Technology as the Academy of Innovation. They also approved a hospitality and tourism choice program at Terry Sanford High School.
The board authorized the district to submit a proposal for a health sciences early college at Methodist University to the N.C. Department of Public Instruction. The district hopes to open it in 2027-28, but the school still needs state approval and funding.
Spanish Immersion Stays at E.E. Miller
Braswell explained that district officials proposed moving Spanish immersion from E.E. Miller Elementary to W.H. Owen Elementary to give students a path from W.H. Owen into New Century International Middle School.
The proposal was also tied to the possible closure of Anne Chesnutt Middle School. E.E. Miller offers both Spanish immersion and year-round schooling, but students pursuing those options could have different middle school destinations if Anne Chesnutt closes. The board voted in February to move forward with closing Anne Chesnutt and Reid Ross Classical Schools.
“We are planning and moving forward with both options. We aren’t keeping our families waiting,” Braswell said.
Leathers explained that the move would have been phased in with a future kindergarten class at W.H. Owen, allowing students already in immersion at E.E. Miller to finish fifth grade there.
Jones questioned why building a path to middle school meant removing the elementary program from E.E. Miller.
“Why are we pulling it out of the only elementary school that we have in the Seventy-First attendance area,” Jones said. “I just don’t think it’s fair.”
Braswell noted that families apply for Spanish immersion as a choice program, but Jones argued that future families should still be able to choose it at E.E. Miller.
Hales agreed with Jones and argued that the district was asking families to consider too many changes at once.
“We are just going too fast—why are we taking this Spanish immersion program from E.E. Miller? It needs to stay there,” Hales said. “I believe in my heart we have enough resources to continue the programs at both schools.”
What Will Happen if Anne Chesnutt Closes?
The board voted 6-2 to approve a year-round track at Lewis Chapel Middle School only if Anne Chesnutt closes. Jones and Hales opposed the plan. Thursday’s vote did not close Anne Chesnutt.
Lewis Chapel would keep its traditional calendar alongside the new year-round track. Braswell explained that the track could serve up to 100 students per grade, or 300 in all.
That limit applies to the year-round program, not the entire school. Kevin Coleman, the district’s associate superintendent of school support, reported that Lewis Chapel enrolls 535 students and has a capacity of 955.
When Williams asked how many students had chosen Anne Chesnutt’s year-round program, Braswell said 149 students—28 sixth graders, 49 seventh graders, and 72 eighth graders.
Those counts do not show how many students might apply to Lewis Chapel in 2027-28. The district said the proposed track would follow E.E. Miller’s year-round calendar, with a lottery if applications exceed available seats.
Hales questioned approving the plan before the board had decided Anne Chesnutt’s future or heard more from affected families.
“I think we’re putting the cart before the horse because we don’t know what’s going to happen with Anne Chesnutt at this particular juncture,” Hales said. “We don’t know what our parents’ desires are unless we talk with them.”
What This Means for Current Students
Families do not need to make an immediate change or submit a new application after the votes on Thursday, according to the school district, and planning will continue during the 2026-27 school year. The district said it will give families school- and grade-specific instructions as plans are completed and will notify staff about assignments. It is also studying transportation for choice programs, but no new service has been approved.
