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The first community forum on the tentative closing of S.W. Snowden Elementary School (Snowden) was held on Wednesday, April 17 at the K-8 school in Aurora. 

Hundreds of Aurora residents and their children attended the forum to express their concerts and ask questions of Beaufort County Schools Superintendent Dr. Matthew Cheeseman. 

Those who attended asked a variety of questions, but the two most common ones surrounded researching alternative options that could save Snowden and transportation safety. 

Any alternative option that could save Snowden would have to be long term. According to data Cheeseman shared with Aurora residents and families on Wednesday: enrollment at Snowden is down; it’s difficult to persuade teachers to work in Aurora where there is little commercial and residential development; funding amounts have changed on the local, state and federal levels.

At the forum, Aurora native Edwin Moore asked if Beaufort County Schools would accept private donations to keep Snowden open. Cheeseman responded by saying that any donation would have to be sent within the next two months, because the school system is going through a budget process for the next year and it is due by June 30. Large scale donations are reviewed by the Board of Education before they are given to a school. 

Beaufort County Board of Education Policy 8220 part B states, “upon receiving an offer of a donation to the school, a principal must give the superintendent written notification that states the nature of the donation and the purpose for which it is donated. The principal does not have the authority to accept donations to the school. The superintendent may accept donations on behalf of the board. The superintendent shall report any accepted donations of more than a nominal value at the next board meeting. The board reserves the right to determine in each particular case the appropriateness of a donation and may accept or reject a donation as the board sees fit. The superintendent shall make a recommendation to the board on the suitability of any donation with a value that exceeds $5,000. After considering the superintendent’s recommendation, the board will decide whether to accept the donation.” 

After the forum concluded, the Daily News caught up with Moore who said, “I’m not gonna say what I’m doing, but I have access to resources and I’m gonna have to make some phone calls… I am going to do my best and try to get some funding to try to keep the school open.” 

Moore continued to say that he is “saddened” that forums on a tentative closing of Snowden are happening. He is an alumnus of Snowden who credits his success in life to his teachers. 

“I remember probably all of my teachers from when I grew up. If it wasn’t for them, in a small setting like this, I wouldn’t be as successful as I am now. They taught me respect, discipline and determination. They pushed me to be the best person I could be,” Moore said. “It allowed me to go to college, get my degree. It allowed me to get my master’s degree. It allowed me to go into corporate America, but also step out on faith and create my own company. It allowed me to be able to know that I could achieve anything I wanted to, and I remember that. This is what made me. This is what gave me the foundation.” 

Moore owns a technology integration consulting firm that works with the federal government. 

Should Snowden permanently close, it would happen before the 2025-2026 school year. 

Students have the option of attending either Chocowinity Primary or Middle, submitting a transfer request to attend another school in Beaufort County (if space is available) or transferring to a public, charter, or private school or online school either in the county or in an adjacent county. 

Nine schools accepted transfers from Snowden for the 2024-2025 school year. Approximately 40 Snowden students transferred to Arapahoe Charter School in Pamlico County, Cheeseman shared with Aurora residents and families. The eight other schools include: Bear Grass Charter School, Washington Montessori Public Charter School, Hobgood Charter School, Winterville Charter School, Pocosin Charter School, Pine Springs Preparatory Virtual Academy, NC Cyber Academy and NC Virtual Academy. 

Snowden students who attend Chocowinity Primary or Middle would travel an estimated 35 miles on a bus to and from the Aurora area on Highway 33. This could mean bus rides in excess of an hour and 30 minutes. On Wednesday, Cheeseman said he did not have enough information on bus routes to definitely say how long students will be on buses to and from Aurora. 

Curt Hendrix, an Aurora resident who has worked with local kids through Scouting and athletics, said Highway 33 “is highly traveled. It’s a lot of big trucks, a lot of chemical trucks, a lot of trucks that are coming back and forth from the mine, a lot of farm equipment, a whole lot of trucks going up and down the highway. It’s not a fun drive. It’s kind of nerve-wracking. The odds are eventually something’s gonna go wrong. And so, we just don’t want them out there.” 

Sherry Sawyer is an Aurora resident whose granddaughter is a third grader at Snowden. “We have issues with the kids having to travel 30 minutes two times a day which is a two hour distance,” she said. 

Cheeseman said he would have more information on bus transportation at a special called Board of Education meeting on Thursday, May 1 at 6 p.m. at S.W. Snowden Elementary (693 7th St, Aurora). 

Beaufort County Schools is scheduled to host more community forums in the coming weeks. 

The next forum will be on April 29 at 6 p.m. at Chocowinity Primary School. The third and final community forum will be on Monday, May 5 at 6 p.m. at Chocowinity Middle School.