Committee recommends $320.5 million school construction bond to school board

A New Hanover County Schools committee voted to recommend a $320,521,418 school construction bond package to the district school board after a detailed presentation on school capacity and project costs.

The recommendation, approved 12-2 by committee members, combines five priority school projects with districtwide investments in safety, technology and building systems including HVAC work. The committee said the recommendation will go to the full New Hanover County Schools board for further review and possible adjustments before county officials and, ultimately, voters consider a bond referendum.

Rob Morgan, operations director for New Hanover County Schools, opened the committee discussion by summarizing a post–tenth-day enrollment capacity study and the district’s on-site use of mobile classroom units. “We ran a capacity study for all of our schools, after the tenth day of enrollment, which is when enrollment started to stabilize,” Morgan said, noting that middle schools were “almost 89% full” and high schools were at roughly 97% capacity while elementary schools averaged about 87% capacity.

Based on those figures and updated cost estimates, the committee reviewed a sample project list that the presenters said had previously totaled about $300,521,418. The projects identified as priorities were: - River Lights: a new elementary school (identified as a new facility rather than a replacement); - Pine Valley: a replacement elementary school; - New Hanover High School: phase 1 (with later phases planned for full renovation); - Trask Middle School: a new building on…