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ALBEMARLE — Questions, concerns and ideas regarding the future of the local public school district will be expressed by community members on Thursday night at the Better Stanly County Schools Forum.

Organized by the recently-developed “Reclaiming Greatness in Stanly County Schools” Facebook group, the forum will take place between 7 p.m. and 9 p.m. at the Farm Bureau Livestock Arena in Albemarle.

Anyone with any connection or affiliation to the SCS school system is invited to attend the forum, where public discussions and presentations will take place on school consolidation, “mega schools,” and the direction that the Stanly County Board of Education is going with its funding plans.

“Right now, decisions are being made that will shape the future of our schools and our kids for decades to come,” event co-organizer Andrew Mullis said in a post. “This isn’t just about buildings or budgets. It’s about whether we create schools that build people up or systems that wear them down. Consolidation might look like progress, but in many communities, it’s led to bigger schools, less safety, overcrowded classrooms, exhausted teachers, lost community identity, and kids slipping through the cracks. We can do better.”

Recently, the school board has come under fire by some critics alleging that it has failed to be transparent or forthright about the direction it is taking.

Last month, the board decided to move forward with a facilities assessment by Moseley Architects that will make an evaluation of long-term planning for high school facilities within the district.

The SCS Capital Improvement Planning Committee has targeted a school consolidation plan that would refigure the county’s high schools with new buildings and increased enrollment numbers, potentially combining individual community high schools into larger schools.

Community forum organizers are hoping that a large group of parents, teachers, students and community leaders will attend the event so that a wide range of opinions can be shared in a public environment.

The “Reclaiming Greatness in Stanly County Schools” group has described its goals in a mission statement: “This group is for parents, teachers, students, and community members who believe our schools deserve better, and we’re ready to speak up. We’re here to share concerns and ideas, stay informed about school board meetings and decisions, organize for better resources, leadership, and transparency, reclaim the greatness Stanly County schools once had — and take it even further.”

School board members have each been invited to the Better Stanly County Schools Forum; Board Member Meghan Almond has confirmed that she will be speaking at the event and answering questions asked by the public.