Rockingham County commissioners approve submission of two state school-construction grant applications

Rockingham County commissioners voted to submit two state needs-based public school capital grant applications on the recommendation of Rockingham County Schools Superintendent Dr. John Stover, who told the board the applications must be filed by Oct. 3. The district is seeking funds to build a consolidated Reidsville elementary (combining South End and Moss Street) and to rebuild Stoneville Elementary. The board voted on a motion by Commissioner Mark Richardson, seconded by Commissioner Barrow, to submit both applications; the motion passed by voice vote. The applications rely on state needs-based grant criteria funded by lottery proceeds and would require a county match.

The superintendent said the Reidsville option would combine South End and Moss Street on the South End site, enabling the district to close Booker T. Washington Learning Center and Lawsonville and to repurpose Moss Street for head start, the SCORE Center and day treatment classrooms. "The South End grant, because we are merging these schools together, scores 6 out of 7 on the grant needs-based criterion," Stover said. He described age and condition problems at South End, noting the main building dates to 1935 and that the school lacks modern safety lobbies and adequate restrooms. "We have some of our specials and other classes in module units that are not meant to be permanent," he said.

Stover described projected savings if the Reidsville consolidation proceeds: an estimated $143,000 per year in energy savings, about $433,000 per year in operational economies of scale (fewer duplicated positions such as counselors and media specialists), and avoided capital repairs (he cited a planned $5 million boiler replacement at Booker T. Washington that would be avoided if that building is closed). He said the proposed new Reidsville school would be about 87,000 square feet and designed for roughly 600 students with room for future additions if needed. The district supplied site plans and said traffic circulation would be redesigned so on-site stacking meets state standards, with a separate bus entrance.

For Stoneville, Stover said the board’s preferred option is to build a new school around the existing auditorium and gymnasium, demolishing most other buildings and retaining a small number of structures only if needed. Architects estimated a base cost of about $41 million for Stoneville and advised an increased contingency because demolition and hidden items (such as underground tanks and foundation issues) could surface during construction. Stover said Stoneville’s configuration — split buildings and a street crossing the campus — creates safety and operational disadvantages and that the building ages range from about 1948 to 1964.

Commissioners pressed staff on multiple operational and planning points during a roughly 82-minute discussion: how closed school buildings would be surplused or transferred to towns (Stover said the district would follow statutory surplus procedures and offer properties to municipalities), whether the district had spoken with the City of Reidsville (Stover said the city had been approached but not committed), and how the district would ensure costs remain within grant plus match (Stover said architects and value-engineering would be used and lower-end finishes or repurposed furniture could be specified to hold costs down). Stover and district staff told the board the district has been updating a long-range facilities scorecard and has worked with Moseley Designs (Ashley Dennis) on the grant packages.

Public commenters who addressed the board before the presentation urged investment in Reidsville schools. Emma Crabtree, who identified herself as living at 1613 Country Club Road, Reidsville, asked commissioners to "vote in favor of allocating necessary funds to build a new elementary school in Reidsville," saying transfers and competition from charter and private schools skew enrollment and that Reidsville deserves new facilities. Anne Hughes Braja spoke on behalf of families and staff at South End and asked commissioners to approve the grant application to secure "safe and modern classrooms."

After extended questions about capacity, class-size rules and enrollment projections, the board moved to submit both grant applications. Commissioner Richardson said he favored submitting both and, if necessary, prioritizing Stoneville later because of safety concerns; other commissioners said they preferred sending both so the state scoring process could determine outcomes. The superintendent and staff said if the district wins one or both grants the county and school board would need to rework multi-year capital plans and debt forecasts; if grants are not awarded the district may rely on sales-tax–funded capital and projected debt capacity beginning in 2027–2030.

The board’s formal action directs county and school staff to file the two needs-based applications and to continue coordinating with architects, county administration and state agencies on scope, contingencies and required matches. Copies of underlying studies (the district’s ORED study, the Proper report and a Davenport financing analysis) were referenced during the meeting and included with the district’s materials. The district said it will provide the commissioners with more detailed capacity and site analyses and will report back with any ranking information the state provides if an application is not funded.