The Richmond County Board of Education (RCBOE) officially approved the 2026 long range facilities master plan during a called board meeting this evening. Nine of the board’s 10 members were present, and the plan required a majority vote to pass. The plan grants the Richmond County School System the authority to move forward with the strategic reorganization and modernization of several district facilities, signaling a bold step toward the future of education in Richmond County.

“We are happy that after the public hearings and listening to the community in reference to how they felt about right-sizing, we were able to make some slight pivots in the plan,” said RCBOE President Shawnda Stovall. “Overall, this plan is moving forward, and we are excited about the school system that we have in place today—but we are even more excited about the school system of the future.”

The approved actions focus on creating 21st-century learning environments through the following measures: Approved Facilities and Transition Actions:

− New elementary school construction on Barton Chapel Elementary site and consolidation with Glenn Hills Elementary School: Barton Chapel Elementary School will temporarily close following the 2025-2026 school year for demolition and the construction of a new, modern facility on its current site. The new school will be subject to a naming committee. During construction, most Barton Chapel Elementary School students will be combined with Glenn Hills Elementary School with the addition of 10 portable classrooms. At the conclusion of construction, both elementary schools will transfer to the new school building, and Glenn Hills Elementary School will permanently close.

− T.W. Josey High School to be housed at Murphey Middle School during construction and until conversion into the new districtwide College and Career Academy: The T.W. Josey Comprehensive High School and Murphey Middle School campuses will be renovated and converted into a district-wide, comprehensive high school featuring premier career, technical and agricultural education programming serving grades 9-12. At the close of the 2025-2026 school year, T.W. Josey High will temporarily move into the Murphey Middle School facility during construction. At the conclusion of construction, currently projected in fall 2029, the T.W. Josey attendance zone will be dissolved, and all rising ninth- through twelfth-grade students in the Richmond County School System may apply to attend the new school.

− Closure of Murphey Middle School for new College and Career Academy: The T.W. Josey Comprehensive High School and Murphey Middle School campuses will be renovated and converted into a district-wide, comprehensive high school featuring premier career, technical and agricultural education programming serving grades 9-12. At the close of the 2025-2026 school year, Murphey Middle School will close, and students will be rezoned to new middle schools.

− Closure of John M. Tutt Middle School: The board approved the closure of Tutt Middle School at the end of the 2025-2026 school year. Tutt Middle School and Langford Middle School will consolidate into the new Langford-Tutt Middle School facility, scheduled to open for the 2026-2027 school year.

− Closure of Jenkins-White Elementary School: Jenkins-White Elementary School will close at the end of the 2025-2026 school year, with the facility to be repurposed for future district needs. Students will be rezoned to new elementary schools in the district.

− Boundary Adjustments: The Board approved for student reassignments for all approved closures and consolidations proposed in the 2026 long-range facilities master plan. All facilities changes will take effect at the end of the 2025-2026 school year.