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REaCH Spared, But ROC and Mount Vernon-Ruth Elementary to Close in Rutherford County Budget Cuts
In a high-stakes, four-hour meeting on Thursday, June 26, the Rutherford County Board of Education voted to keep REaCH Early College High School open, but approved the closure of the Rutherford Opportunity Center (ROC) and Mount Vernon-Ruth Elementary School, both by 6–1 votes. The evening was marked by emotional public comments and deep divisions over how best to address a $6.1 million revenue shortfall.
“Closing schools has always been our last choice,” said Superintendent Dr. David Sutton. “The financial crisis that we face right now is years in the making”.
Board Vice Chair Angel King (R-S District) and member April Mayse (CHASE District) advocated forcefully to protect REaCH, which operates in partnership with Isothermal Community College. “REaCH has shown that early colleges work—academically, socially, and economically for the county,” said King. The board agreed, and REaCH was spared.
But the votes to close ROC and Mount Vernon-Ruth Elementary drew dissent.
Thomas Crawford (CHASE District) was the sole vote against closing ROC. Speaking with visible emotion, he recalled rescuing two abused children and said, “If I made a mistake, did I make it on the side of the kid? And if my vote not to close the ROC is a mistake, I’ve made it on the side of the kid”.
Later in the evening, David Linder (East Rutherford District) was the lone vote against closing Mount Vernon-Ruth Elementary, describing an internal conflict between data and conscience. “Analytically… it makes sense. But I got an overwhelming sense right now that that’s the wrong thing to do,” he told fellow board members and the community.
Board Chair Phillip Morrow (Member at Large), along with members Brandi Nanney (R-S District) and Tracy Short (East Rutherford District), joined King and Mayse in voting for the closures.
Chief Operating Officer Kevin Bradley explained that transportation boundaries are already being redrawn to accommodate displaced students, and Sutton pledged clear communication moving forward. “We won’t have all the answers on Monday,” he said, “but early in the week we’ll provide a timeline so that people can count on getting good answers—ones that are accurate and won’t change over the summer”.
Stay tuned to Cops & Congress for the full meeting video and ongoing coverage of how these changes will affect families, staff, and students.
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