Nearly a year after the Franklin County School Board voted to close Burnt Chimney and Henry Elementary Schools due to a lack of funding, the fate of the properties has now been passed on to the county.
On Monday night, the school board voted 6-1 to officially release both former elementary school properties to the Franklin County Board of Supervisors, marking the next chapter for the buildings.
In February of 2024, the school board made the difficult decision to close both schools in order to redirect resources to other educational priorities.
At that time, funding shortages made it increasingly difficult to keep the aging schools open and maintain necessary facilities for students.
Since then, the properties have been in limbo, awaiting a final decision on their future.
School Board Member Arlet Greer, who grew up in the Franklin County school system, expressed the emotional weight of the decision.
“It reverts back to the County, to the Board of Supervisors. They will decide at this point what the needs of the county are and what they could maybe utilize those for,” Greer said.
Greer was among those who initially opposed the closures. "Just before the vote, I had said 'I didn’t think we should close them,' but then I spoke with some administrators and social workers who asked me if I could promise them that the schools would be open in two years.
I couldn’t give them that promise, and that’s when I knew it wasn’t fair to keep them in uncertainty,” she explained.
The closure of Burnt Chimney and Henry Elementary Schools has had a deep impact on the communities they served.
Greer shared how personally difficult the decision was, recalling the school's role in bringing people together.
“My husband went to Burnt Chimney, he attended there, and schools are a hub in the community. They bring people together. It felt like a family being torn apart,” she said.
The future of these properties now lies in the hands of the Franklin County Board of Supervisors. However, Greer expressed optimism about the potential for the buildings to serve the community in new ways.
In the resolutions passed by the school board, it was stipulated that any future proceeds from leasing or selling the properties should go into a special fund designated for school construction or renovation.
As for what the buildings could become, Greer suggested a variety of possibilities. “A community building, especially for Henry, could be a great use. Burnt Chimney is a large space, so it could potentially be repurposed for several different purposes,” she said.
At present, there have been no formal discussions between the school board and county officials about the specific future use of the properties. With the buildings now under county control, the Board of Supervisors will need to assess the needs of the county and decide how best to move forward.
The decision to close the schools and turn the properties over to the county marks the end of an era for these long-standing institutions in the Franklin County community.
As the process unfolds, many in the area will be watching closely to see how the properties can continue to serve the region in new ways.