Granville County families still miffed over decision to close Wilton Elementary School

FRANKLINTON, N.C. (WTVD) -- A school closure continues to raise questions for Granville County families who say the district has not been transparent about its decision-making.

The Granville County School Board voted in December to close Wilton Elementary School.

Chelsea Shover says it was a hard conversation to have with her kindergartner.

"Immediate tears. I mean, instant. She understands," she said. "It was heartbreaking. It was hard to tell her, but I wanted her to hear it from me, and I wanted her to understand that the parents have been fighting."

Amanda Taylor said her first-grader has been loving Wilton, so she was confused when the school board voted 4 to 3 in favor of closing Wilton.

"A lot of the documentation from board meetings where Wilton, highest attendance for this month, highest attendance for that month, highest teacher satisfaction," she said. "Teachers don't want to leave. They don't want to go teach somewhere else. Might be forced to. So it's just a lot of why."

The school board had to decide between closing Credle Elementary School or Wilton Elementary School, or both schools.

District reports show shutting down Credle would save the district more money per year.

According to a report presented during the Nov. 4, 2025, school board meeting, closing Credle Elementary would save the district more than $706,000 two years after closing it.

Shutting down Wilton Elementary would save the district over $546,000 two years after closing it.

The reports also show that Wilton has higher enrollment than Credle Elementary.

A petition started by parents to save Wilton has even received over 1,000 signatures.

Still, the school board voted to close Wilton.

"It feels like the decision was made before this conversation even became public," said Shover. "I really want to understand, when was this decision truly made?"

District officials sent ABC11 a statement, which included a quote from the School Board Chair Vickie Baker, saying in part, "This was not an easy decision, and it was not made lightly. After careful review of our budget realities, enrollment trends, and the long-term needs of our students, the board determined that this action was necessary to protect the quality of education across our district."

Paul Latorre, who has a daughter at Wilton, said others in the community have presented solutions to the district to save the school, and says the community hopes something can be done.

"A board member in Granville County can make a motion to overturn this," he said. "If you're inviting the solutions, act on solutions. That's what we want."