News 12 at 11 o'clock, July 24, 2008

RICHMOND COUNTY, Ga.---Closing schools in has been a hot topic for parents. Now the board held a meeting getting them one step closer to a decision.

It's all in an effort to save money, possibly close to $12 million dollars over five years.

"The community is changing from a neighborhood to a cemetery," said Ethel Durrette. She says that's what will happen if her local high school, T.W. Josey, shuts down.

"First the schools, then the stores, then the people move out," she said.

She has a business nearby and mentors a few kids who go to school there. Like many people, she'd hate to see her local school close.

"You certainly can't rule that out but you can't by any means say it's inevitable that it's gonna happen," said Louis Svehla, the public information director for the Richmond County Board of Education.

Richmond County is trying to figure out the best way to use their buildings. In March, an audit revealed the county had nearly 6,000 empty seats and could save money by closing five schools, but it never said which ones.

The audit centers around money but Superintendent Dr. Dana Bedden says that's not all.

"What's more important is do we have a facility that supports the educational plan. Brick and mortar don't teach," Bedden said.

The board selected about 50 people from the community to form a focus group.

Their goal is to decide what's important when choosing whether to close schools.

Some main factors include school performance, the importance of the school building to the community, how well the building's used, cost per student, and demographics.

"Hopefully people will be able to see the big picture and say, 'look they really took their time to do the best job they could,'" Bedden said.

It's a decision Durrette doesn't take lightly. She hopes they can clean up the school system without shutting down any schools.

"I think it'll be something lost when there's no Josey anymore...or any school," she said.

No school, including Josey, has been mentioned specifically.

The focus group will give its recommendations to the school board, hopefully by the next meeting in a few weeks.

The board says they don't necessarily have to close school. They could change a few things, like the school boundaries, how many grades are at each school, and maybe bus routes. They're just trying to decide how to use their facilities in the best way they can.