‘It would be wicked to close this school.’ Pleasant Hill residents criticize potential L.H. Williams Elementary closure

After Bibb County School District leaders identified L.H. Williams Elementary as one of three schools they’re considering closing, the district held a meeting last week to get community feedback. 

Parents, former students and teachers made it clear: they don’t like the idea.

What was designed as a town hall and information session evolved into a public hearing as Pleasant Hill residents chided school officials for thinking about shutting down the only elementary school in the historic Black neighborhood.

“It would be wicked to close this school,” George Fadil Muhammad said. “It would be a crime to close this school.”

District leaders said they took into account factors like facility age and attendance projections to evaluate schools ripe for closure. L.H. Williams scored last in the district’s scoring system. 

“With all due respect, your decision making matrix process has been flawed,” Thomas Duval told school officials. 

The school district presented three possibilities for closures earlier this month, one of which included shuttering L.H. Williams Elementary and sending its students to Ingram-Pye and Hartley Elementary. Hartley and Ingram-Pye are both about 3.5 miles away from L.H. Williams.

Another option suggested by district leaders is to reroute at least 100 students from John R. Lewis East to Williams, deputy superintendent Katika Lovett said, which would bring up enrollment to increase state funding based on the QBE formula.

Pleasant Hill residents cited concerns about transportation, enrollment, loss of culture and teacher retainment, among other things, in the various breakout sessions with district staff. Residents also said the decision to put Williams on the chopping block ignores the school’s cultural and historical importance to the neighborhood.

Some residents proposed turning Williams into a magnet school or an application-only, lottery-based admission school specializing in animation, music and reading.

Duval, a retired dentist, said the county has the resources to get students reading at grade level, which he said is the best indicator of student success.

“The magnet school solves all problems, money, attendance, reading at grade level, and [keeping the school] culturally relevant,” he said.

Lovett said the district hasn’t decided to close the school, and changes will be implemented in the 2026-27 school year.

“People are very passionate about their community,” Lovett said. “I appreciate hearing from each and every person who spoke tonight, whether that was in favor of or not in favor of one of the scenarios proposed.”

The school district will head to other schools named for potential closure later this month, starting with Porter Elementary March 4 and Hartley Elementary March 11. Ingram-Pye, Heard, Southview and Skyview Elementary are also slated to have meetings.

The information gathered from these meetings will be considered by the consolidation steering committee before the final scenarios and recommendations are delivered and voted on at the March 20 education board meeting.