A Macon school is at risk of potential closure again. Residents fight to keep doors open

For the second time, the L.H. Williams Elementary School is facing the possibility of closure as the Bibb County School District nears a final vote in its ongoing exploration of school consolidation.

With the district kicking off a series of scheduled school-based community meetings, school leaders and concerned Pleasant Hill community members filled the L.H. Williams cafeteria Thursday evening and heard strong opposition to the school’s potential closure.

Several attendees feared that closing the school would destroy the neighborhood and its historical value. Others reasoned that a closure could place hardship on parents and bus drivers in terms of student transportation.

“Some kids may ride transportation, and if you close the school, they’re going to have to go further to (another) school,” said District 3 Commissioner Stanley Stewart, who asked district leaders to reconsider the thought. “The truancy rates are off the charts right now, so that may even affect that.”

Williams Elementary was named one of three elementary schools at risk of closure last month, potentially merging with Ingram-Pye and Hartley Elementary schools.

A proposed non-consolidation scenario included rezoning John R. Lewis Elementary School students to the school.

BCSD Deputy Superintendent Katika Lovett said the district and its school consolidation steering committee have been focusing on data-driven factors, such as enrollment trends and facility age, with aims of decreasing the number of elementary schools and stabilizing per-student spending.

Per the Georgia Department of Education, elementary schools must have a minimum enrollment of 450 students to receive full state funding, Lovett added.

About 290 students were enrolled at L.H. Williams as of October 2024, school leaders said. The figure resembles enrollment data from 2016 and 2017, according to the Georgia Department of Education data.

This is a familiar fight for Pleasant Hill residents, as the school faced consolidation threats for declining student enrollment eight years ago.

Preserving Williams’ ‘rich’ culture

The Pleasant Hill School was renamed L.H. Williams Elementary in 1936, according to BCSD history documents.

In the school’s cafeteria, walls are adorned with vibrant murals of Black Pleasant Hill icons: flamboyant rock ’n’ roll legend Little Richard, Vietnam War hero Sgt. Rodney Davis, and former principal Lewis H. Williams, an iconic Macon educator.

Pleasant Hill native Thomas Duval boldly expressed his concerns about erasure of the school’s historical legacy, earning occasional applause from the audience during his nearly 10-minute speech.

“With all due respect, your decision-making process has been flawed from the very beginning,” Duval said, telling the district leaders they did not consider the school’s historic value. “The most important thing we need for our kids to succeed is the motivation to want to learn, and they get that from their history and culture.”

Pleasant Hill native George Fadil Muhammad said consolidating the school could encourage the gentrification of the neighborhood.

“We are fully rich with Black history and grace in this community, and we need to continue it,” Muhammad said. “It would be a crime to close this school.”

Both Duval and Muhammad proposed converting Williams Elementary into a magnet school with a curriculum focusing on animation, architecture and finance to attract more students. They said it would help solve the district’s financial woes and close literacy gaps.

What’s next?

The Bibb County Board of Education will make a final determination on school closures at a later date.

Any decisions resulting in school consolidation would not impact schools until the 2026-27 academic year, school officials said.

If school officials vote to consolidate L.H. Williams, school leaders said middle school and high school enrollment would remain the same, with students in the Williams neighborhoods attending Miller Middle and Central High schools.

BCSD Superintendent Dan Sims urged the community to voice additional concerns through the district’s Let’s Talk service. He appreciated the turnout, noting the community’s passion and commitment to the students’ lives.

“Nothing is more important than the 21,500 students in our district … We want to make sure that we continue to ground ourselves in the needs of our students, to make sure they are able to learn and thrive wherever they are,” he said.

Breaking news reporter Jesse Fraga contributed to this story.

This story was originally published February 28, 2025 at 10:42 AM.