During the final minutes of the Cumberland County Board of Education meeting Tuesday, Fathom Geerts, a 17-year-old junior at Alger B. Wilkins High School, stepped to the podium wearing a school T-shirt and holding a printed speech in her hands.
She spoke carefully, pausing at times, about how Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease, a neurological disorder that affects peripheral nerves and causes muscle weakness, shapes her daily experience at school. She described how walking is painful, how crowded hallways can be dangerous, and how something as simple as carrying books from class to class is not simple for her at all.
Geerts addressed the board as it moves forward with a consolidation and construction plan approved April 2 that repurposes the Alger B. Wilkins campus. The plan shifts students and programs out of the school for the 2026-27 school year and later uses the site as temporary space for other schools before closing it and turning the building over to the county.
Her father, Indra Geerts, who said he is a U.S. Army sergeant first class who trains paratroopers, interrupted the board meeting earlier in the evening after she was not initially called to speak.
“My daughter still has not had the opportunity to speak,” he told the board after more than an hour of testimony.
For the second month in a row, he said, she had come to speak about the importance of keeping a small, flexible school environment that meets her needs.
The meeting, held at the district’s central services building, was expected to follow a standard agenda. Instead, it became a prolonged and at times emotional public forum, as dozens of parents, students, teachers, and community members pushed back against proposals that could reshape schools across Cumberland County.
Those proposals include potential closures or consolidations involving Massey Hill Classical High, Alger B. Wilkins High, Manchester Elementary School and J.W. Coon Elementary School, as well as plans tied to the construction of a new E.E. Smith High School and the use of swing space at Reid Ross Classical School.
‘I Cannot Survive in a Larger School’
When Fathom Geerts spoke, she focused on what a larger school would mean for her day to day.
Alger B. Wilkins currently enrolls about 168 students, with a functional capacity of roughly 381, according to a report from MGT, which the school system hired in 2025 to conduct a comprehensive facilities and utilization study of the district’s schools. Alger B. Wilkins is one of the smallest high school settings in the system.
Geerts said it is that smaller, more controlled space—rather than the building itself—that allows her to navigate the school day safely.
She said navigating long distances between classes, moving through crowded hallways, and managing physical strain are already constant challenges, and those conditions would be intensified in a larger campus setting.
“I cannot survive in a larger school,” Geerts said.
“My school does not help us in spite of its size or environment, but because of it,” she added.
Geerts said the structure of Alger B. Wilkins allows students like her to function in ways they would not be able to in a traditional setting, where size and pace can make it difficult to keep up physically and emotionally.
“I am not a number. We are not a statistic—it is a second chance at graduation for students who need it,” she said.
Her father later reinforced that point, describing the school as essential to her progress.
“My daughter requires a small, flexible school to be able to succeed and thrive, Alger B. Wilkins has proven to be that school,” he said.
Reid Ross: ‘My School Isn’t Just a Building’
Students and families connected to Reid Ross Classical School described the campus as one of the district’s only year-round options, offering smaller class settings and a nontraditional calendar that many said supports student learning and stability.
Under the district’s approved plan, Reid Ross would be repurposed as a temporary swing space for E.E. Smith High School beginning in the 2027–28 school year, with current students reassigned to other campuses.
Paige Porchia, a parent of a student who attends this school, said families chose the model intentionally.
“You’re not just asking families to change schools, you’re asking them to abandon an educational model that was deliberately chosen,” she said.
Cameron Clark, Reid Ross’ student body president, said the school’s value cannot be reduced to data.
“My school isn’t just a building, it is a community made up of people, relationships, and futures,” he said. “Closing the school down would take away these opportunities and rob them of their safe space.”
Michelle Cazarez—PTO president at E.E. Miller Elementary School, who said she was speaking on behalf of Reid Ross families—told the board she had planned for her children to attend the school.
“I’ve spent the last two years considering my child’s educational options once he enters middle school. I was disheartened to hear about the upcoming closure of Reid Ross, a school I was excited for him and his brother to attend for the rest of their grade school years,” she said.“Why would Cumberland County Schools promote a school that would be closing, and why would this happen after the choice program window has closed?”
“Frustrated doesn’t even begin to describe the feeling my family felt that night when we got that phone call the evening of February 9 stating a decision was made about a school we signed up to attend,” she said.
‘Educational Genocide’: Criticism Over Manchester Elementary Closing
Speakers addressing the board raised concerns about the closure process involving Manchester Elementary School, arguing the campus in Spring Lake is being judged on conditions shaped by years of disinvestment, not failure.
Under the district’s approved plan, Manchester Elementary School would be closed as a standalone school beginning in the 2026–27 school year, with students reassigned to other campuses.
Robyn Chadwick, a former Spring Lake commissioner, pointed to growth in the area and challenged the district’s conclusions.
“Spring Lake is not shrinking, Spring Lake is growing and our school system must grow with it,” she said.
She said the school should not be penalized for broader infrastructure issues.
“Manchester Elementary should not be penalized because of an $800 million districtwide repair backlog,” Chadwick said. “In a growing town, removing Manchester Elementary School is not just impractical, it is educational genocide.”
Lynette Smith, a family ambassador for Manchester Elementary, questioned whether the school ever received the investment it needed.
“Are we considering closing Manchester because the school failed or because it was never given the investment it deserved,” Smith said. She said the impact would extend beyond the classroom.
“Closing Manchester is not just a logistical decision, it will impact 301 students, disrupt families, and dismantle a community that has supported generations,” Smith said.
‘We Need a Plan for Our Staff’
Teachers also raised concerns about how closures and consolidations would affect staff across the district, including those at J.W. Coon Elementary.
Jamiedre Burns, an Exceptional Children resource teacher at the school, said staff are still waiting for a clear direction.
“It’s not enough to say you’ll have a job, we need to know where, we need to understand what placement looks like,” Burns said. “These staff members cannot be an afterthought, they must be a part of the plan.”
Burns highlighted positions that are not easily reassigned across schools.
“Our data managers, our bookkeepers, our front office staff, our cafeteria workers, these are not positions that exist in abundance, they are individuals who keep our schools functioning,” Burns said.
She said questions remain unanswered about how those roles will be handled.
“What happens when there is only one of these positions at a school that’s already filled, what happens to the people who have dedicated themselves to these roles,” Burns said. “These are not small questions, these are questions about job stability, professional security, and the ability to plan for our futures.”
Despite extended public comment focused on school closures, the board did not take any new action related to closures and consolidations on Tuesday.
The district will conduct a study of Manchester Elementary and J.W. Coon Elementary through May 11, followed by a public comment period from April 15 through April 29.
Public hearings are scheduled for April 27 for Manchester Elementary at the school from 6–7 p.m., and April 29 for J.W. Coon Elementary at the school from 6–7 p.m.
A final board vote on the closure of both schools is scheduled for May 12.
The next school board meeting is scheduled for May 10.
