We are probably tilting at windmills but I don’t feel we can stop trying until the deed is done. The Beaufort County School Board is determined to close our local elementary school but we were not giving up with a fight. Unfortunately, we were unaware that we should have started this battle months ago.

I’m asking all the parents, grandparents and guardians of students of S W Snowden Elementary School to send letters, make phone calls, and email our school board members asking them to reconsider. Below is my letter to the board members.

Dear School Board Member:

Good day to you. I am a concerned grandparent with an eight-year-old granddaughter living with me to finish out the school year at Snowden. I attended the previous meeting at S W Snowden Elementary School and listened as the superintendent spoke about the high cost of keeping Snowden open, but I want to address the financial cost of relocating our Aurora area students. 

Chocowinity Elementary is an older school and one of my concerns is its infrastructure. Not only do we have to be concerned about classrooms and class sizes, but what about bathrooms and the capacity to handle a hundred more students? Not to mention the ability to feed these children. I know that many larger schools handle this by scheduling three lunch periods, but this doesn’t seem feasible for students who will be on a bus for up to two hours each way. I know how difficult it is for high schooler, but it will be even more of a challenge for younger students.

Busing these students will require more buses, which need gas and maintenance. The superintendent spoke of adding Wi-Fi so that students can do their homework on the bus. This sounds well and good, but how much will that cost and what is the time frame for it to happen? If cost is the main reason for closing S W Snowden, then how is this going to be cost effective?

I believe there are some simple solutions that will make keeping Snowden open the better option. Please consider some or all of these ideas and explore other ideas before making your decision.

Option one: redistricting Blounts Creek. Blounts Creek is divided and part of the students go to Aurora, the other to Chocowinity. In recent years, more students are being sent to Chocowinity. A simple redrawing of the line and Snowden would have an increase in students. This would also lessen the burden of Chocowinity Elementary School.

Option two: the superintendent mentioned the cost of our principal. Sharing a principal with Chocowinity would lower our cost, and while I would hate to sacrifice her on the altar of finance over education, I’m sure she would make the sacrifice in order to keep Snowden open. If we both kept full-time vice principals with a shared principal, I believe this is something that would allow us to keep our school open.

Option three: with the difficulty finding licensed teachers but hiring wonderful teaching assistants and those working on their credentials, how about using virtual teachers in the classroom with a TA to assist and monitor the classroom?

And last but not least, with a rich pool of retired teachers, business people, and the proximity of the fossil museum and a community library, why not use these resources to enrich students’ education? Aurora is rich in natural resources, interesting people and a diverse community. There is something to learn around every corner.

Thank you for your time. I hope you will consider keeping Snowden open.

Sincerely,

Sherri Lupton Hollister