The Bladen County Board of Education has voted, by the slimmest of margins, to shut down East Arcadia School, a small K-5 campus near Riegelwood that many locals say holds their community together.
In a 5-4 decision Monday, the board approved a consolidation plan that will eventually send East Arcadia students about 20 miles away to Clarkton School of Discovery. The exact shutdown date is still up in the air. Members signed off on a closure window between June 2026 and June 2027, a move that immediately drew sharp pushback from families.
According to the Border Belt Independent, board members were deeply split on timing. Three pushed for a June 2026 closure while others argued to keep the school open until June 2027. The board plans another meeting to settle on a final date.
Why the district pushed consolidation
Bladen County Schools' draft District Restructuring and Realignment Plan says East Arcadia has been stuck well below the 100-student mark that triggers state funding for a principal and describes the campus as being in poor condition. A recent enrollment review put the school at about 64 students, and the document lists a new septic system, window and floor replacements, and HVAC work that would cost roughly $1.27 million, according to Bladen County Schools.
Money and staffing crunch
The restructuring plan puts it plainly: the state will not pay for a principal unless a school has at least 100 students, which means the district has to cover that leadership position on its own. Since 2018, the net local cost of staffing a principal at East Arcadia is about $630,000, according to Bladen County Schools.
Local reporting puts the district's spending on Principal David Wimert at roughly $535,000 in salary and benefits over that same period, according to Foxy 99.
Community reaction and history
Parents packed three public hearings and argued that the consolidation plan would put young children on buses long before sunrise and keep them on the road far too long. WECT reported that families raised alarms about nutrition, sleep, and the toll of extended rides on elementary students.
The school carries a heavy historical weight too. The Border Belt Independent noted that East Arcadia was founded in the 1920s as a Rosenwald school that served Black students during segregation. Board member Anthony Thomas, reflecting on the building's condition, said, “Seeing that the school has been neglected, I think that we owe the students at East Arcadia an apology.”
What happens next
The board will reconvene to lock in the official closure date. If members cannot agree, Superintendent Dr. Jason Atkinson has said he will step in and make the decision himself.
Foxy 99 reported that Atkinson told the board he expects enrollment at East Arcadia to drop to about 43 students next school year. He also noted that Columbus County is planning a new school in Acme-Delco that is expected to open in October 2027, developments that district officials say feed into the push to consolidate.
The vote effectively begins the endgame for a campus rooted in the Rosenwald-era drive to educate Black children in the segregated South. It also sets up a tough test for Bladen County: shift students to a new school without disrupting learning, and decide what to do with a building and a community that many residents argue have been shortchanged for years.
