AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – The Richmond County Board of Education voted unanimously to approve a master plan to close and consolidate several schools in the district, including converting Josey High School.

Nine of the board’s 10 members were present, and the plan required a majority vote to pass.

The unanimous vote came Monday night as part of a master plan to close several schools in the district.

Among the other plans the board voted on:

• New elementary school construction on Barton Chapel Elementary site and consolidation with Glenn Hills Elementary School: Barton Chapel Elementary School will temporarily close following the 2025-2026 school year for demolition and the construction of a new facility on its current site. The new school will be subject to a naming committee. During construction, most Barton Chapel Elementary School students will be combined with Glenn Hills Elementary School, with the addition of 10 portable classrooms. At the conclusion of construction, both elementary schools will transfer to the new school building, and Glenn Hills Elementary School will permanently close. Unanimously approved 9-0.
• Closure of Jenkins-White Elementary School: Jenkins-White Elementary School will close at the end of the 2025-2026 school year, with the facility to be repurposed for future district needs. Students will be rezoned to new elementary schools in the district. Unanimously approved 9-0.
• Closure of John M. Tutt Middle School: The board approved the closure of Tutt Middle School at the end of the 2025-2026 school year. Tutt Middle School and Langford Middle School will consolidate into the new Langford-Tutt Middle School facility, scheduled to open for the 2026-2027 school year. Unanimously approved 9-0.
• Closure of Murphey Middle School for new College and Career Academy: The T.W. Josey Comprehensive High School and Murphey Middle School campuses will be renovated and converted into a district-wide, comprehensive high school featuring premier career, technical and agricultural education programming serving grades 9-12. At the close of the 2025-2026 school year, Murphey Middle School will close, and students will be rezoned to new middle schools. Approved 8-1.
• Boundary Adjustments: The Board approved student reassignments for all approved closures and consolidations proposed in the 2026 long-range facilities master plan. 

Timeline

Josey will temporarily close during construction. At the conclusion of construction, currently projected for fall 2029, the T.W. Josey attendance zone will be dissolved. All rising ninth- through twelfth-grade students in the Richmond County School System may apply to attend the new school.

All facility changes will take effect at the end of the 2025-2026 school year.

Community and board reaction

The board held three public listening sessions over the past month before the vote. No public comment was taken at the meeting.

Josey alumni attended to hear the outcome of the vote. Irvin White, a Josey alumni who played defensive end on the school’s first football team, brought a 1966 school newspaper and yearbook to the meeting.

“Career Academy is fine, but if they just keep Josey’s name alive. That’s what a lot of us keep fighting for, to keep Josey’s name alive,” White said.

During prior public input meetings, community members raised concerns about preserving Josey’s legacy. Some said converting the school into a career academy would eliminate traditional high school programming.

“It’s about a community. It’s about the ecosystem that was created from that. And college and career academies don’t have traditional high school programming at all. So it will be lost,” one person said.

Others spoke to Josey’s historical significance in the district.

“It was devised during a time when people who looked like me couldn’t go to various high schools across the city. So in that vein, when it started, it was helpful to Black students. As the school continued to grow, it became a haven for all students who were disadvantaged in some way, shape or form,” another person said.

Haley LaCuesta, director of media and public relations, said the board responded to community input gathered during the listening sessions.

“At the first public hearing, they received a lot of feedback, a lot of questions and concerns. And what happened was they listened, and they made adjustments to that plan,” LaCuesta said.

Board member Shontae Boyd acknowledged a trust gap between the board and the community.

“The community does not trust us. But I promise we will do what we say we are going to do,” Boyd said.

RCBOE President Shawnda Stovall said the board made adjustments based on public input.

“We are happy that after the public hearings and listening to the community in reference to how they felt about right-sizing, we were able to make some slight pivots in the plan,” Stovall said. “Overall, this plan is moving forward, and we are excited about the school system that we have in place today — but we are even more excited about the school system of the future.”

What comes next?

With the plan now approved, the district will form a naming committee for the new College and Career Academy.

Residents interested in joining the naming committee can contact the Richmond County School District.

Copyright 2026 WRDW/WAGT. All rights reserved.

AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – The Richmond County Board of Education is set to vote Monday night on a master plan that would close several schools in the district.

The plan would close T.W. Josey High School and Murphey Middle School and convert them into a career and college academy.

It would also close Jenkins White Elementary School and demolish Barton Chapel Elementary School to build a new one in its place.

During public input meetings, community members urged leaders to preserve the legacy and history of T.W. Josey High School. Alumni and neighbors said the school’s name needs to stay.

New mental wellness opens center opens in Augusta

Warren church in Augusta had its grand opening for the Hope Mental Wellness Center Sunday morning.

Alumni said they support academic improvements proposed under the plan but want the school’s heritage recognized.

“We applaud all of the changes — the wonderful changes, the academics, the new path and all of that that are being proposed for the students — that is absolutely wonderful, but we want them to understand also that they have a heritage that has been wonderful and it needs to be maintained,” she said.

AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – Tiny homes for foster youth aging out of the system are one step closer to being finished.

Bridge Builder Communities is building the first tiny home community designed for this group in Augusta.

Each tiny home will have the essentials like air conditioning as well as a kitchen area, a wardrobe and closet space.

Each person will also get assistance for education, career planning and other needs.

On Sunday, the builders and their community partners signed the homes to inspire the kids.

“When those kids age out of foster care, about 55% of them become homeless almost instantly. And so we’re taking those kids, we’re giving them an opportunity, not just providing safe, affordable housing, but life skills training, workforce initiatives, pathways, but more importantly, a community that cares for them so that they can transition successfully,” said Michael Cooper and Jackson Drumgoole of Bridge Builder Communities.

Copyright 2026 WRDW/WAGT. All rights reserved.