WILLACOOCHEE, Ga. (WALB) — Community members packed a meeting on Tuesday, May 26, to confront school officials about the possible closure of Willacoochee Elementary School, with residents and the superintendent pledging to work together to keep the school open.

The meeting at the Willacoochee Depot Station brought together concerned citizens, local leaders, and Atkinson County School System Superintendent Dr. Melissa Willbanks, who addressed enrollment concerns and clarified that no final decision has been made about the school’s future.

Willacoochee Mayor Dante Griffin opened the meeting by expressing the community’s determination to keep the school open.

“We love our school,” Griffin said. “This gonna be a fighting battle for us... We’re not going to let this go away.”

Griffin said closing the school would mean losing taxpayer money and vital resources for the city.

“Those things are vital to the city of Willacoochee,” he said. “In a small community like this, you know, these are the things that we need to prosper and grow. And right now, Willacoochee is definitely on the verge of standing to be an outstanding small community.”

Willbanks echoed the mayor’s sentiment.

“This is a battle. This is a fight,” Willbanks said. “But I’m telling you folks, if we don’t fight this fight together, a house divided is going to fall.”

Residents said they are challenging the school board’s decision.

Enrollment decline drives discussion

Willbanks said enrollment at Willacoochee Elementary has dropped to 139 students as of Tuesday, down from 144 when the proposal was first presented to the school board on May 18. She said the school system has monitored enrollment patterns since 2018, when Pearson Elementary and Willacoochee Elementary combined had 127 more students than today.

Five students recently withdrew because their families found housing in Douglas and could not drive them back to Willacoochee, Willbanks said.

“We are losing kids,” she said. “And it was because of housing.”

Willbanks said keeping enrollment stable or increasing it is essential to keeping the school open.

Community concerns about ag facility proposal

Residents questioned why architectural plans for a multipurpose agricultural facility at Willacoochee Elementary were presented to the board if no decision had been made about closing the school.

Willbanks said the pictures were taken on May 8, 2025, by Altman and Barrett, an architecture firm that began working on a multipurpose ag facility in 2022. She said the facility was proposed as one possible use for the building if consolidation became necessary, but emphasized it was only a suggestion.

“If the community, if you guys say no, guess what? It’s no,” Willbanks said. “It was just a suggestion.”

She said the facility would be funded by $500,000 already donated to the school system and another $5,000 allocated by the governor, with no local money required. Willbanks said only about 10 to 12 families actively show hogs and cows in the county.

Former Superintendent Bob Brown, who served nearly seven years before leaving office in 2024, spoke against closing the school.

“When you’ve got a school that is state of the art, it’s not dilapidated, either you close the school because you’re completely broke or it is completely shot,” Brown said. “It is neither.”

Brown said the school system had millions of dollars in the bank from pandemic relief funds when he left office. He said Willacoochee Elementary still receives Title I, migrant and ESOL funding, and that Pearson Elementary has never been denied resources.

>> READ MORE: It’s going to kill our town’: Residents emotional over possible school closure talks <<

Timeline and next steps

Willbanks said the board discussed the proposal for fiscal year 2027 or 2028 during the May 18 meeting, but the final decision was to revisit the matter in 2028.

“No decision has been made,” she said. “The proposal was introduced as a potential option.”

She said the school system must hold public meetings before any decision is made about closing a school, as required by state law.

Willbanks identified housing and jobs as the primary challenges facing the county.

“This is not a school problem. This is an Atkinson County problem,” she said. “We’ve got to overcome no housing and no jobs, not just in Willacoochee, but in all of Atkinson County.”

Facility comparisons and transportation concerns

Residents pointed out that Willacoochee Elementary has the newest gym and media center in Atkinson County.

“It just does not make sense to overcrowd a very nice facility and close another very nice facility,” one resident said.

Willbanks acknowledged the quality of the facilities and said maintenance staff does an excellent job maintaining the school.

Transportation became a point of contention during the meeting. When Willbanks mentioned concerns about students being picked up in the dark if grade levels were reconfigured between schools, Willacoochee residents said the same would apply to their students if they had to commute to Pearson.

Transportation Director Ray said bus routes would add about 30 minutes of travel time. The school system expressed concern that Willacoochee students may have to leave early or in the dark if the school closes and they are bused to Pearson.

Willbanks said no jobs would be lost if the schools were consolidated.

Other proposals discussed

Residents asked about alternatives to closure, including redistricting and changing grade configurations.

Willbanks said redistricting was attempted about three years ago. She said the school system consulted with Georgia Department of Education facilities experts about moving grade levels between Pearson and Willacoochee, but was told the distance between schools would create problems with bus schedules and instructional time.

Willacoochee Police Chief Frankie Sanchez said the city is working on a proposal to install speed cameras that could generate up to $70,000 annually. He said some of those funds could be allocated to support Willacoochee Elementary, including playground equipment and resource officer funding.

Willbanks said the Georgia Department of Transportation denied a previous request for the cameras, though Sanchez said the department has approved the proposal and is awaiting the superintendent’s signature.

The Willacoochee Leadership Organization and the Willacoochee Action Committee organized the meeting.

The school board wants everyone in the community to know there is no final decision, and they do not want to close the school down. Finances play a major role in enrollment and housing. Natural disasters have caused people to move to neighboring counties for housing and schools.

Residents are looking to start fundraisers, programs, and a petition to prevent the school from shutting down and end the discussion.

Have a news tip or see an error that needs correction? Let us know. Please include the article’s headline in your message.

To stay up to date on all the latest news as it develops, follow WALB on Facebook and X (Twitter). For more South Georgia news, download the WALB News app from the Apple Store or Google Play.

Copyright 2026 WALB. All rights reserved.