Cabarrus County Schools presented a proposed 10-year capital improvement plan to the school board during Monday night's work session. The plan includes funding for several new schools and renovating some current schools.
The plan, which will be forwarded to the Cabarrus Commission upon approval, consists of 12 capital projects ordered by priority.
Topping the list is a 150-seat alternative opportunity school that will be built as a performing learning center campus on the existing site. This will be followed by construction of a new preschool center to replace the Mary Frances Wall Center, which will be developed at its current location in Beverly Hills, and a 750-seat replacement school for Coltrane-Webb and Beverly Hills schools. Built on Coltrane-Webb site.
Twelve projects are part of the 2023-24 Capital Improvement Plan.
Cabarrus County Schools
Tim Roeder, CCS executive director of construction, told the board that the prioritization order of projects often changes from year to year, depending on which projects the committee decides to fund. Once a particular project receives funding and is taken off the list, other projects will be prioritized.
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“It's kind of a back-and-forth negotiation as to how much money they (the commission) are going to give us,” Roeder told the board, adding that the commission typically , noted that they tend to accept requests from school districts, especially when it comes to top priorities.
For example, the top project in the 2022-2023 sequencing was the construction of a new R. Brown McAllister Elementary School.
As the new facility is completed and students transition to the school in August, the current R. Brown will serve as a swing school for Coltrane Webb students as the new school is built. The new Coltrane-Webb/Beverly Hills Alternative School was ranked No. 9 in the 2022-2023 rankings, but has been moved to No. 3 under the current improvement plan.
The district is expected to grow by at least 5,000 students over the next 10 years, and two 940-student elementary schools that were not included in the 2022-23 plan are priorities in the current development plan. ing.
Roeder said the order of projects can change from year to year based on a variety of factors, including funding, changing facility conditions, student enrollment and construction costs.
Board member Kecia Sandidge said the addition of a high school section to the Royal Oaks School of the Arts, which was the No. 4 project during the 2022-2023 planning period, was one of 12 projects as part of the current improvement plan. He expressed concern as to why there is not one. Roeder explained that the committee was “not very keen” on funding the project.
“I think growth is the bigger priority right now,” Superintendent Dr. John Kopicki said of Royal Oaks being removed from the improvement plan so new schools could be built in key growth areas. Kopicki noted that the district still plans to convert Royal Oaks into a K-12 arts school.
Board member Pamela Escobar questioned why building an alternative school in Central Cabarrus was a lower priority (No. 12) than building a new high school in the southern part of the county (No. 7). presented.
“I don't understand why we're talking about building a new high school when we can keep Central's kids in school and we can build on that land,” she said, adding that high school students are not eligible for national certification. He pointed out that there is a right to be granted. – Art facilities. “Think about the children you have now.”
The Board of Education is scheduled to approve the city plan at its regular meeting next Monday.
