Glenwood Closure, Mandarin’s Future, and Student Tech Rights

The Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools Board of Education votes to close Glenwood Elementary, sets timelines and guardrails for relocating its Mandarin and world language magnet programs, and hears a Student Technology Bill of Rights as members tighten plans to scale back iPads. The board also redirects tech savings into curriculum, creates a media technology advisory group, and closes with recognition of championship-winning student athletes. 24mins

Was this helpful?

Original Meeting

Friday, June 5th, 2026
14346.994
Board of Education
Full Meeting on Granicus
avatar
The Carrborean
at The Carrborean
Carrboro, NC, USA
The Carrborean staff
View full bio
In This Video
  • A Glenwood parent recounted the history of tension around the dual language and STEAM programs to warn that closing the Glenwood building and relocating its magnet programs could displace students and create new disruption at other schools.
  • A Carrboro Elementary student presented a Student Technology Bill of Rights, calling for intentional and limited use of classroom technology, strong protections for student data and mental health, and safeguards against undue corporate and AI influence on education.
  • Board Vice Chair Fedders moved to close Glenwood Elementary, citing systemic underfunding, transportation costs, new housing projections near Ephesus, reduced displacement compared with other options, and trust that district leaders would preserve the Mandarin dual language program’s successes in a new location.
  • Board Vice Chair Fedders explained a vote to close Glenwood Elementary as a financially driven, district-wide sustainability decision, emphasizing Glenwood’s magnet status and location as reasons it would cause the least disruption and urging careful planning and empathy as students and programs are relocated.
  • The board held a formal vote on the motion to close Glenwood Elementary School, and the motion carried with a majority of members in favor.
  • Following the Glenwood closure vote, the board unanimously directed district leadership to return by the August 20th meeting with specific scenarios for housing the Mandarin dual language and world language programs in schools that currently have substantial capacity.
  • Dr. Bob Bales, chief academic officer, explained the shift from one-to-one K–1 iPads to shared carts and defended continued use of adaptive digital tools like i-Ready for legally required K–2 progress monitoring, noting teacher misunderstandings about the platforms and the difficulty of doing equivalent assessments on paper.
  • Dr. Bales detailed how cutting certain technology programs created an ongoing $435,000 annual savings that was reinvested in curriculum adoptions, while instructing schools not to repurchase the eliminated programs independently.
  • The board approved the district’s technology plan with added summer–fall priority actions, then unanimously directed administration to convene a media technology advisory group to monitor implementation, while signaling a desire for faster iPad phase-outs and a future discussion on student phones.
  • Board Member Dasi celebrated recent athletic accomplishments including the Carrboro High School girls soccer team, which won the state championship.
Your Governments
Your governments list is empty.
Manage Your List
More from this government
School Closures, Budget Strain, and Community Trust
May 21, 2026
Justice, Unity, and Board Accountability in CHCCS
May 13, 2026
Chapel Hill-Carrboro Weighs Possible School Closures
May 7, 2026
Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools Board of Education
Nearby governments
Chapel Hill Town Council
Orange County Board of Commissioners
Hillsborough Board of Commissioners
Orange County Board of Education
Carrboro Town Council
Durham City Council
Durham Public Schools Board of Education
Durham County Board of Commissioners
Alamance County Board of Commissioners
Graham City Council