Education

"I'm really pretty proud of the school system."
- Resident

The northern Moore school system was an issue of importance for many Robbins residents. The majority of community members expressed pride in the schools and felt that the children were receiving a good education. Many spoke of the challenges that the schools have faced in coping with an influx of non-English speaking children. Others discussed the controversy in the community surrounding the proposal for a consolidated middle school. Residents also spoke of the differences in funding and resource allocation between northern and southern Moore. Although residents varied in their opinions of the school system, all spoke of the importance of a quality education for the town's children. Many people interviewed expressed a great deal of pride about their schools and the quality of education their children receive. The school system is currently structured so that Robbins Elementary and Elise Middle School serve the residents within the town of Robbins. Westmoore Elementary and High Falls Elementary, both of which house kindergarten through eighth grade (K-8), serve the surrounding areas of northern Moore County. All three schools then feed into North Moore High School. Residents regarded the quality of the teaching to be a great asset to the community, as one community member stated, "there are some of the hardest working teachers in this area and they genuinely care about the children." Community members frequently cited the small school size and relationship between the teachers, parents, and children as strengths of the school system. As one resident said, "for the most part, teachers really care. Kids get to know their teachers. Teachers know the kids by name." Robbins Elementary was seen by many as an institution that brings people together and, as one community member said, "plays a key role; it's an integral part of the entire community."

Robbins Elementary was also one of ten schools in the state last year to get a UTOTES grant (Using The Outdoors to Teach Experiential Science). Areas outside the campus will be developed as teaching areas for students and community members. For example, a butterfly garden is a possible benefit of the grant. This grant will utilize people from the community in the development of multiple projects to enhance students' learning experiences.

The recent influx of the Hispanic population to the Robbins area has presented a new challenge to the northern Moore school system. Currently, 37% of the students at Robbins Elementary School are of Hispanic origin. The elementary school employs three ESL teachers and a number of teaching aides who are bilingual. Many community members commented that these teachers have been instrumental in helping to integrate the classrooms. However, others expressed concern that with a growing number of non-English speaking children, there are not enough resources to meet the need. One resident spoke of the continuing frustration felt by the schools as they struggle to meet the needs of the students:

We are experiencing some sort of difficulties for the new immigrants, especially for the little kids, second and first graders up - there is very little bilingual help. We see families emigrating from other countries and the schools are facing a tough task of making kids understand.

Many people interviewed expressed concern that the quality of education is declining because of the non-English speaking students. One stated, "when you have children in a classroom that don't speak English, you've got teachers that are going to spend more time with those children, and they have in the past. That's partly why I took my kids out." Despite these negative sentiments, most residents were proud of the ability of the teachers and school administrators to integrate the non-English speaking students, and felt that a more diverse school was beneficial to the children and the town. Another recent issue mentioned by many in the community was the debate over the consolidation of the middle schools. The proposed change was to move the sixth through eighth grades from Westmoore and High Falls schools to Elise Middle School. Many residents supported the change because an increase in the number of students means an increase in county funds, resulting in greater resources available. As one resident explained:

Two or three years ago we were fighting very hard to get one middle school in this area-so we could have more available for our children. For example, schools get more money depending on how many kids are there. They get a certain number of teachers because of that. They have more availability of courses.

One parent felt that this consolidation would be beneficial because it would increase opportunities for the children. She said, "they try very hard, but my children were at Elise and they never had drama. They had to choose between art and music; they couldn't do really both of them. There are a lot of things that they can't do because they don't have it available on their campus." However, other residents were opposed to the consolidation of the schools because they felt that smaller schools are more beneficial to the children. One parent remarked, "my kids are at Westmoore Elementary and there is a stability there. I wouldn't want them to lose that." Another resident expressed the sentiments of many people by stating, "people didn't want change. I just think little is better." The final decision was to keep the schools separated, and High Falls and Westmoore remain grades K-8. One resident stated, "I'm certain that the Board of Education was okay with it, but they felt that the three communities couldn't accept it." Many community members still felt strongly about this issue and hoped that the middle schools will be merged in the future.

Another issue of great concern for the people in Robbins was school funding and perceptions of resource allocations within Moore County. Many people felt that the northern Moore schools often do not get an equal share of county school funding or recognition. One resident felt that, "schools don't get a lot of help from the county so they do it themselves." Community members spoke proudly of the active parent and teacher associations and strong fund-raisers held for the schools. Another resident was upset about the county's handling of the monetary allocations for the consolidated middle school after the proposed merger fell through, and complained:

What they did was give the monies [that were allocated to merge the school] to Southern Pines, so they could build a new school. …They have more voters down there, and I was very angry because as a member of the Board of Education, you are supposed to do what's best for a community, and not listen to all the political mumbo-jumbo. But that's not what they did. They listened to the voters and they did what was best for their seats.

Yet another community member expressed dissatisfaction with the current situation, stating:

We vote for the school bonds and we don't get that money; it's not a fair distribution-more money is given to the southern part of the county. There are some bad feelings between upper Moore and lower Moore. Upper Moore does not get its fair share of resources.

Although many Robbins residents were divided in their feelings about the current situation and the future direction of the schools, all residents felt very strongly about the importance of a quality school system. Many community members expressed satisfaction with the school administration and teachers, and felt that the schools were coping well with the challenges they face. Residents hoped that discussions about these issues will continue, and that workable solutions will be developed that the entire community will support.

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