Carter County schools outline $2.9 million bond for high school roof, HVAC, flooring and gym

A school district representative updated the Carter County Commissioners on a proposed $2,900,000 bond that will appear on the mail ballot on April 17 and must be returned by May 6.

The representative said the bond would be used to replace the high school roof, install a new HVAC system to provide filtered, recirculated fresh air for classrooms, abate asbestos-containing tile and convert main-floor areas to polished concrete, and, later, replace the original gym floor.

The school representative said, "The roof itself is at its end of life," and that the HVAC work will "allow us to have free, clean air recirculation in the building instead of just potentially opening the windows." The district plans to complete the roof and flooring projects in summer 2026, with the gym floor replacement scheduled for summer 2027 if the bond is approved. The representative said the bond will be structured as a five-year bond and that the district seeks to lock prices now to reduce exposure to construction-cost increases.

On flooring, the representative described an asbestos underlayment beneath original tile and said contractors will abate and strip down to polished concrete in corridors and classrooms. "By going to polished concrete, we eliminate about 250 hours a summer of stripping and waxing," the representative said, adding that the polished-concrete finish requires only occasional clear-coat maintenance.

The representative and a second speaker from the district described the gym work as a full replacement rather than the periodic sanding and refinishing done in prior decades. "When they redo it this time, the whole floor comes out, brand new — whole new floor comes in," the second speaker said, and noted that bleachers will need to be removed during installation.

The district said it will host several public information sessions before the election, including a session with the project manager from McKinstry to answer technical questions and a recorded community session on March 25; additional sessions are planned around the county, including one at the senior center and gatherings in Alzada, Hammond and Hawks Home.

In the same update, district staff described two education initiatives seeking state funding: a "Jump Start" summer program aimed at incoming kindergarten through third-grade students who test below grade-level reading, and a literacy grant the district has submitted that would fund staff training in the science of reading across K–12. The district said the Jump Start program is funded through state sources and that the larger literacy grant notification is expected in May.

The representative also provided a status update on the STARS Act, new state legislation affecting educator pay. "It passed out of the House, like 98 to 2," the representative said, and noted the district has negotiated teacher contracts to meet the act's eligibility criteria in case the bill becomes law. The representative said the program could increase quality educator payments and extend payments to emergency-authorized staff.

The update closed with reminders about community outreach and an invitation for commissioners and residents to raise questions at upcoming sessions.