By Miles Layton

GATESVILLE — When the Gates County Board of Commissioners convened Monday, commissioners received a proposed school budget, heard educators’ comments about a contentious elementary school closure and approved a new county attorney — all inside the historic Gates County Courthouse.

The featured photo accompanying the story shows Don Gregory, who served as principal at Buckland Elementary for 41 years, making his pitch to commissioners to keep Buckland Elementary from closing.

The centerpiece of the joint session was a revised budget proposal from the Gates County Board of Education — one commissioners had urged be held as close to $2.9 million as possible.

Leslie Byrum, chairman of the Gates County Board of Education, presented the board’s final submission and walked commissioners through the cuts his board had labored to achieve.

“We did work hard,” Byrum told the group. The board was able to reduce its initial ask to $2.98 million — a significant trimming, though short of the $2.9 million target by roughly $80,000.

Byrum explained that the remaining gap includes $100,000 designated for maintenance director Johnny Greene, which would fund critical infrastructure needs including a wastewater pump, canning work, and an asphalt overlay at T.S. Cooper Elementary — and another $100,000 for new Chromebooks for students.

“You will see a letter from Mr. Greene,” Byrum noted, pointing commissioners to documentation detailing how the maintenance funds would be spent. “He actually put the wastewater pump and also the canning [as] the majority, along with asphalt overlay at T.S. Cooper Elementary.”

One notable line-item reduction drew specific attention: the office of the superintendent saw its budget trimmed from $64,000 to $50,000.

“Yes, actually we did reduce that from $64,000 that we requested earlier, to $50,000,” Byrum confirmed when asked by Commissioner Dave Forsythe.

Byrum also explained that $13,000 was moved from the superintendent’s office line to the board summary — representing membership dues to the North Carolina School Board Association, calculated based on average daily membership figures.

The commissioners responded with warm gratitude. Commissioner Forsythe, who had raised pointed questions about the capital outlay figures and the demographics of the district’s recent reduction-in-force, ultimately offered a heartfelt acknowledgment.

“I want to thank Mr. Byrum and the rest of the board for your long, long hours that y’all spent on this,” Forsythe said. “A lot of hard decisions to get through all this, and I want to say thank you to the school board to get us to this point.”

Commissioner Brian Rountree echoed the sentiment: “Rich hit projected two point nine. That was difficult to do. So I want to thank the Board of Education and your diligence and accomplishment in that.”

Commissioner Jonathan Craddock also praised the board’s efforts, saying: “Y’all really dug down deep, went into some uncharted territory that we haven’t seen in a while, and it does not go unnoticed. I know y’all spent a lot of time, a lot of effort and it needed to be done, had to be done, and y’all did a hell of a job.”

Subscribe — it’s free!

County Budget: Commissioners Urge Caution on Tax Increases

Moving into Old Business, commissioners turned their attention to the county’s own fiscal year 2026-27 budget — and the conversation quickly revealed shared hesitation about proposed tax increases. See our previous story here.

Commission Chair Emily Truman set the tone early and bluntly.

“I feel like we’ve asked the Board of Education to make cuts and to hold to a certain dollar amount in budget,” Truman said. “And we have a declining population. I don’t feel that we can in turn ask for a tax increase to make our budget suit. I think that we need to do what we’ve asked them to do and take a hard look at our budget and make the cuts that we need to make in order to balance our budget without a tax increase… I feel like we can’t ask them to do something that we aren’t willing to do ourselves.”

Commissioner Forsythe was equally direct. “I’m wholeheartedly against [a tax rate increase]. I’ll say that up front,” he said, though he noted support for a cost-of-living salary increase for county employees, observing that municipalities across the region are generally offering three percent this year.

Forsythe also flagged concerns about adding new positions to the county payroll without data-driven justification. “Creating new positions at a time when the county hasn’t grown in population, adding more bodies adds burden, bureaucratic burden. I’m wholeheartedly against that without justification.”

Commissioner Rountree emphasized that county personnel represent the most valuable resource the county has. “Our people are our resources… For retention sake, we need to do accordingly because we’re in a region and our best and our brightest are being recruited throughout the region, even across state lines.”

Commissioner Craddock acknowledged the tension: “We’ve got to look out for the people that work here and also got to look out for our constituents. So it’s a balancing act and we’re going to balance it — we always do.”

A work session has been scheduled for Wednesday at the extension office, which will be recorded and posted publicly for citizens to view. Additionally, a public input meeting on the county budget is scheduled for June 17th at 6:00 p.m. — residents are encouraged to attend and make their voices heard.

Chair Truman also floated the idea of a one-time bonus for county employees, drawn from the general fund, to recognize what she called a difficult year for staff.

“I don’t know if we could possibly work up a number… to see if we could give a one-time bonus out of our general fund to the staff of Gates County. It doesn’t have to be a significant number, but $500, $750, something like that would be a mental link that says thank you and we appreciate you.” Truman was clear that no decision has been made; it remains a personal passion she hopes the board will explore further.

Community Voices: Emotional Pleas to Reconsider Buckland Closure

The public comment portion of the meeting drew some of the most emotionally charged moments of the day, as residents stepped to the microphone to urge the boards to reverse the previously decided closure of Buckland Elementary School — a decision made by a 2-to-1 vote at a time when only three of the five board seats were filled.

Don Gregory: A Principal’s Final Plea

Don Gregory, who served as principal at Buckland Elementary for 41 years — beginning just one year after total integration in 1971 and retiring in 2012 — delivered what he described as a final appeal to the joint boards.

“I came to Buckland as principal in 1971, one year after total integration,” Gregory told the room. He noted that the building, constructed in 1951, has only improved over the decades. “Today, Buckland is in better condition than it was in 1971 when I came. And of course, we’ve had new additions to Buckland: a new media center, a new K-1 building, a new lunchroom.”

Gregory recalled a telling exchange with a contractor who visited the building during recent summer improvements: “He said, ‘You know, we can’t build buildings like this anymore.’ And he said that in a positive manner.”

Reflecting on the community response to a recent celebration held at the school, Gregory described the depth of feeling he had witnessed. “I got out of my car at five o’clock for a five-thirty meeting, and at six-thirty, I had not made it to the front door,” he said. “I knew that people cared about that school, but I didn’t know how much. It’s so deep and so wide.”

Gregory argued that the original closure vote lacked adequate representation: “Our current school board is made up of five members… but at the time the vote was taken as to what course to take, there were only three members.” He called for a revote now that a full board is seated.

“What I’m requesting is that a vote be taken to keep all three schools for ’26 and ’27 with the support of the county commissioners,” he said, adding that residents in the Buckland area would willingly accept a modest tax increase to keep all three buildings open: “I guarantee it.”

If keeping all three schools proves impossible, Gregory proposed an alternative: closing Gatesville School instead, and repurposing that building — located in the county seat — as a community and senior center, potentially consolidating county offices under one roof.

“If we can’t have all three schools, if that’s not possible, then what I am suggesting is that Gatesville be closed,” Gregory said. “The senior center, county offices including and closing many of the offices, including the board of education office and others that could save money… you could cover a lot of your business without having to travel very far.”

Rose Taylor Lee: A Veteran Teacher’s Voice

Rose Taylor Lee, a 29-year veteran public school teacher from the Reynoldson district and a mother of three daughters currently in the Gates County school system, also stepped up to the microphone — and her remarks drew an uncommon round of applause from the audience when she finished, a rarity following public comment.

Lee identified herself not only as an educator — one who has been named Teacher of the Year for her school five times and County Teacher of the Year once — but as someone deeply invested in the future of the district.

“I have spent nearly three decades inside classrooms, inside schools, and inside communities,” she said. “I have watched school systems succeed and I have watched them struggle. And tonight, I am deeply concerned about the direction Gates County Schools is heading in.”

Lee challenged the boards to look honestly at whether every alternative had been exhausted before moving to close a school, and cited specific data points in Buckland’s favor.

“According to last year’s school report card, Buckland Elementary did not receive a D grade. Buckland scored a 57 out of 49,” she said. “According to the most recent teacher working conditions survey, which I emailed to all of you, Buckland Elementary scored the highest overall among schools in this county. Yet this is the school being dismantled.”

She also pressed the boards on a harder, underlying question: why are families leaving Gates County Schools in the first place?

“Why are parents seeking other educational options? Why are students not staying in our system?” Lee asked. “Those are difficult questions, but they’re necessary. If we continue down a path where public confidence declines, consolidation alone will not save the district.”

Lee invoked the fate of Sunbury School as a cautionary tale. “That beautiful building once served children and families with pride… Today it sits deteriorating, unusable. We allowed a valuable community structure to become an eyesore. Are we preparing to do the same again?”

She also noted the cultural weight of the decision. “Perhaps most importantly, [you are] dismantling a school that represents a significant part of the African-American history, heritage and identity of Gates County. And that matters. A school is just not brick and mortar… A school is community, history, relationships, pride and home.”

Lee closed with an urgent appeal: “Tonight I urge you to slow down, reevaluate this decision, explore every possible alternative… Because once those doors close, we may never open them again.”

Thomas Wood Named New County Attorney; Phil Godwin to Retire

In a unanimous vote, the Board of Commissioners officially accepted the resignation of longtime County Attorney Phil Godwin, effective at the end of June, and appointed Thomas Wood as his successor, beginning July 1.

That’s Wood in the suit and tie. He’s from Edenton, married to Tales of an Educated Debutante columnist Adrian Wood and they have a wonderful family.

Godwin and Wood have been co-owners of Godwin and Wood Law Firm in downtown Gatesville across the street from the courthouse for many years, ensuring a seamless transition of institutional knowledge.

“We are excited to have a transition where our attorney is still right there in the county across the street,” Truman said, “and that he’s been working closely with Mr. Godwin for years and is up to date on all of [county matters].”

The motion to accept Godwin’s retirement and appoint Wood passed unanimously on a roll-call vote.

The county extends its gratitude to Godwin for his years of dedicated service and wishes him a well-earned retirement. Thomas Wood is expected to serve the county with the same commitment and expertise his predecessor brought to the role.

Odds and Ends

Commissioner Forsythe shared an important update from the Albemarle Commission’s Board of Delegates: Gates County has access to $365,000 in weatherization and home repair assistance funding — and so far, only three residents have applied.

“If you know somebody that’s financially troubled… and in need, come fall, you can start applying for some of those repairs,” Forsythe urged. “We need to make sure we get that out.”

Details are available on the Gates County Government Facebook page. Residents experiencing financial hardship and in need of home repairs are strongly encouraged to take advantage of this program before funds go unused.

Commissioner Rountree offered a celebratory update: he and Commissioner Forsythe have finished distributing copies of the US Constitution to students at T.S. Cooper Elementary, as part of an ongoing county initiative to mark America’s 250th birthday.

“We gave out constitutions to the students. They were very engaged,” Rountree said, thanking Forsythe for his participation. “Commissioner Forsythe gave some great information. Hats off, thank you sir. The kids love you.”

Every student in Gates County should now have a personal copy of the Constitution.