“Viewpoints” is a place on Chapelboro where local people are encouraged to share their unique perspectives on issues affecting our community. All thoughts, ideas, opinions and expressions in this series are those of the author, and do not reflect the work, reporting or approval of 97.9 The Hill and Chapelboro.com. If you’d like to contribute a column on an issue you’re concerned about, interesting happenings around town, reflections on local life — or anything else — send a submission to [email protected].
The Future of Our Schools: A Shared Opportunity & Responsibility
A perspective from Dr. Rodney N. Trice
Over the past year, CHCCS schools have shown what’s possible when we combine great teaching, strong relationships and a shared belief in what students can achieve. Our graduation rate is up to 93.8%. Our academic proficiency is nearly 14 percentage points higher than the state average. More CHCCS schools are earning A and B grades for overall performance, and more students are exceeding growth expectations. We’re not just maintaining strong outcomes in our district, we’re improving them.
At the same time, our community has wrestled with difficult questions about the future of public education, including the enrollment and economic realities that face many school districts across the nation. Most recently, those conversations culminated in the CHCCS Board of Education’s decision to close Glenwood Elementary School after the 2026-27 school year.
While it was a most difficult decision to close a beloved school, we must recognize that this one vote does not define our district or even conclude the work before us. The data show that the enrollment and financial challenges that led to this decision are likely to persist. Like school districts across North Carolina and the nation, CHCCS continues to navigate how to provide the best possible educational opportunities for all students while remaining fiscally sound. Addressing those challenges will require continued diligence, thoughtful planning, honest conversations and, sometimes, tough choices.
It will also require something even more important: the combined efforts of our entire community.
Providing every young person with a high-quality public education delivers benefits here at home and in our broader society. Likewise, ensuring the future success of our local schools rests on all of us – district leaders, educators, families, staff members, students, alumni, community partners, municipal leaders and residents. Public education is a community investment. The strength of our schools helps shape the strength of our community.
Now is the time to show the best versions of ourselves through the community-oriented collaboration that makes CHCCS the envy of other public school districts.
As we move forward this fall with revising school attendance boundaries for elementary-age students, a process known as elementary school redistricting, we must be intentional about building welcoming school communities. We know from experience that transitions can be challenging and that students and families need to feel accepted, valued and connected as they move into new school communities. Preserving what is special while creating something new will require care, patience and deliberate effort.
We have an opportunity to model the values we hope to foster in the next generation: respect, empathy, kindness and a commitment to working through differences. We can and should choose to listen, to welcome new neighbors into our school communities, and to focus on what unites us rather than what divides us. Most importantly, we must choose to keep students at the center of every conversation and decision.
No one should underestimate the challenges ahead, because change is difficult and transitions are rarely seamless. There will be questions to answer and concerns to address, but there is also a strong case for optimism. This community has a long history of caring deeply about its schools, and the passion we have witnessed over the past year comes from a shared belief that our children deserve the best opportunities we can help create for them. That common commitment -one that I see firsthand every day as superintendent- remains our greatest strength.
The chapter ahead will not look exactly like the chapter behind us. But if we approach one another with empathy, engage in good faith, and keep our focus on the success of current and future generations of students, we will emerge stronger than before, continuing the legacy of success CHCCS is known for across the state.
That is why I ask all of us to help ensure that the next chapter of public education is one defined by deep community collaboration. Let’s move together with a sense of purpose and partnership that will make all of us proud to call Chapel Hill-Carrboro our home.
“Viewpoints” on Chapelboro is a recurring series of community-submitted opinion columns. All thoughts, ideas, opinions and expressions in this series are those of the author, and do not reflect the work or reporting of 97.9 The Hill and Chapelboro.com.
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