By Amy Schumacher
The Bladen County Board of Education conducted their fourth and final community forum meeting at Elizabethtown Middle School concerning the consolidation of schools in Bladen County.
The Board Of Education Superintendent, Dr. Robert P. Taylor, presented the findings and facts concerning the condition of many of our schools and the associated costs that can be expected. The $38 million dollar projected price tag would encompass building a school in the Tar Heel area that would serve k-8 grades, repairing the roofs of both the East Bladen and West Bladen High schools and building Field Houses at both high schools. 
Two schools are in very bad disrepair and with the consolidation effort, be closed. These schools are Plainview Primary school and Tar Heel Middle school. The students from both of these schools would be relocated into the new k-8 school that would be built along with students that would be moved based on the routes of buses and the most economical way to keep bus route times at a minimum while providing a safe, up to date school to offer our students the best education possible.
With these consolidations and necessary repairs of other schools come many questions that need to be answered. The community members present voiced concerns about additional bus route lengths for the primary age students, funding options, and even questions about how funding is being used to support all of the current schools in operation.
Several Principals were asked if their school could handle the influx of students if the two schools closed and the students of many schools were moved to attend their schools and all voiced that they felt confident that they could handle the increase in students and would work very closely with the Board Of Education members to ensure that a secure plan was in place prior to this happening.
The voters of Bladen County has voted against an increase in sales tax three tines since Dr. Taylor has served as the Superintendent. A sales tax increase would be a 1/4 of a cent which would offer approximately $450,000 per year to fund the maintenance and updating of our schools. Other options discussed by the County Commissioners has been to increase the property taxes within Bladen County.
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