The Bladen County school board voted 5-4 on Monday to close East Arcadia School, a decision that highlighted tensions among board members.
Parents and residents of East Arcadia had pleaded with the board for weeks to keep the school open, saying it served as an anchor for the predominantly Black community. The school was founded in the 1920s to serve Black students during segregation.
Enrollment at the school has declined in recent years, and it currently serves 58 students. Officials with Bladen County Schools have said the building needs nearly $2 million in upgrades, including heating and cooling systems, windows, and lead mitigation.
“Seeing that the school has been neglected, I think that we owe the students at East Arcadia an apology, because we position other schools to accelerate academically while we’ve deprived them of some of the essentials that other schools have,” board member Anthony Thomas said during Monday’s meeting.
The school board’s three Black members–Harmful Davis, Gary Rhoda, and Thomas–voted against closing East Arcadia. Member Steve Kwiatkowski, who also voted no, was seen wiping tears from his face as it became clear he was outnumbered. Kwiatkowski did not return to the meeting after a five-minute recess.
Board chairman Mackie Singletary, who lost the Republican primary for the District 2 seat earlier this month, called the meeting back to order several times as members discussed financial concerns and debated if and when to close the school.
“You won’t hush,” Singletary said at one point, referring to Davis.
When East Arcadia closes, which could be as early as this summer, students will be sent 20 miles away to the Clarkton School of Discovery. Some board members proposed waiting until summer 2027 to give the district ample time to arrange students’ bus routes and set up K-5 classrooms at the Clarkton school, which currently serves grades six through eight.
The board didn’t reach a decision on when the school will close, so Superintendent Jason Atkinson said he will decide.
“They are confused,” Iris. T. Lyons, a Bladen County resident and member of the local NAACP, said of board members after the meeting. “They don’t know where they are right now.”
Financial ‘Band-Aid’?
Others who attended the meeting also said they were frustrated.
“I graduated from this school. My kids went here. I don’t want to see this closed,” Tiffany Smith told the Border Belt Independent during a short break in the meeting.
East Arcadia School was founded a century ago as a Rosenwald School. Businessman Julius Rosenwald opened thousands of schools across the South, including more than 800 in North Carolina, to educate Black students during segregation.
About 88% of East Arcadia’s 418 residents are Black, as are about 56% of students enrolled at East Arcadia School.
The Bladen County school district has been trying to reduce its “footprint” to save money, according to a 2025 consolidation study. The school board closed Booker T. Washington Primary School in 2018. It merged Plainview Elementary and Tar Heel Middle into a new building that opened in 2024.
Thomas said closing East Arcadia School would only be a “Band-Aid” for the district’s larger financial concerns. The district, which serves about 3,600 students, saw a 4.4% drop in enrollment this school year.
Atkinson said it has become more costly to operate some programs, including those for students with special needs. He also said charter schools are a factor; charters are public schools that receive state funds but do not have to adhere to some of the rules public schools face.
Closing East Arcadia could hurt the district if students opt to attend charter or private schools, since the state largely funds public schools based on enrollment, Thomas said. He said the board should have considered possibilities beyond keeping the school open or closing it.
“There was not any list of viable options that we could actually explore to move forward,” Thomas said. “That was very disappointing to me. As master educators, we should look at all avenues to be sure that as something is being presented, that we’ve thought methodically and that we look in all different directions.”
Atkinson said he understands parents’ concerns about the distance to the Clarkton School of Discovery, and that families want their kids to attend school close to home.
“I want the same thing,” he said. “This is difficult because we’ve heard the statement made.”
Atkinson said the state and the county have not adequately funded schools. “There’s things that impact the school system that are outside the school system’s control that hurt us. It’s not a good place to have to be in to make a decision.”
Board Tensions
During a separate discussion about an upcoming financial audit, some board members questioned how the school district is spending money, particularly how Atkinson distributes funds to schools.
Davis said he wanted to see copies of invoices and bills.
“I have some concerns and I would just like to see what is being allocated in these areas and approved by the superintendent,” he said.
Singletary interrupted Davis several times. “I’m the board chair and I can stand you down at this point,” he said.
Rod Malone, attorney for the board, said no board member can individually give the superintendent or any personnel directives. The entire board must authorize requests, he said.
Rhoda, who lost the Democratic primary for his school board seat this month, said it’s important for board members to see details about the district’s finances. When board member Dennis Edwards spoke up, Rhoda retorted: “You always go against me.”