Lee County Board approves moving Warren Williams pre-K to W.B. Wicker campus

The Lee County Board of Education voted Tuesday to relocate the Warren Williams pre-K program to the ground-level classrooms at W.B. Wicker Elementary School beginning in the 2025–26 school year.

Board members said the move would place pre-K students in larger, newer classrooms with in-class restrooms, reduce some operating costs and make better use of existing district buildings. The board approved the motion by voice vote. "Aye" responses carried the motion.

The relocation drew support from district staff and several board members who toured both campuses. "The classrooms in the lower building at Warren Williams presently have communal bathrooms only," Stacy Eggers, assistant superintendent of operations, told the board as she described the facilities at Warren Williams and W.B. Wicker. "We are housing 144 pre k kids at that site right now." Eggers said the W.B. Wicker ground floor had been designed to accommodate pre-K and can offer en-suite restroom access in classrooms, higher ceilings and improved circulation for very young students.

Why it matters: Board members said the move would place children in classrooms better suited to pre-K routines, reduce food-transport logistics and shift custodial and nursing assignments in ways they expect will increase nursing coverage across elementary schools. The district also identified potential cost savings in utilities and reduced meal transport costs from consolidating food services.

What the board heard: Superintendent Dawson Bach (first referenced as doctor Dawson Bach) framed the relocation as part of a broader look at pre-K capacity and facility use in the district. "We began researching what availability we may have to expand," Dawson Bach said, noting earlier estimates to renovate Warren Williams approached multimillion-dollar figures. Eggers told the board a full renovation estimate for Warren Williams had been roughly $4.5 million and that a security-gate upgrade alone had an earlier estimate near $700,000.

Eggers said W.B. Wicker was built or renovated in 2019 with a walk-out ground floor intended for pre-K use; she described the space as able to host up to 10 pre-K classrooms subject to NC Pre-K office approval. The district currently lists W.B. Wicker as built for 969 students with a "functional capacity" the staff referenced as 921; adding the Warren Williams pre-K enrollment would raise W.B. Wicker's utilization from roughly 61% to about 79% under those figures.

Questions and next steps: Board members asked about timelines, community outreach and outstanding approvals. Eggers said the district was awaiting final guidance from the NC Pre-K office and expected a "final walk through" in mid-June; she said the target first day for relocated pre-K students would be Aug. 27, 2025, if approvals are obtained. The district plans to meet with Warren Williams staff and families before moves begin and will assess alternative uses for the Warren Williams site, including storage, a parent resource center or mental-health and family engagement offices. The Warren Williams parcel was described as about 12.5 acres with a tax value the packet listed at $2,300,000.

Decision: A board member moved to approve the relocation; another board member seconded. The chair called for the vote; members answered "Aye." "Any opposed? Motion passes," the chair said. The motion as stated on the record was: "I move that the Lee County Board of Education approve relocating the Warren Williams pre k to the campus of W. B. Wicker Elementary Schools beginning 2025–26 school year." The board did not record a roll-call tally in the public portion of the meeting transcript.

Implementation considerations: District staff highlighted that some renovation work would still be needed to prepare classrooms and that certain funding options are limited. Eggers said using Warren Williams for adult-facing services rather than classrooms would substantially lower renovation needs. She also noted the district will have a facilities condition assessment available in August that will further chart renovation costs and building values.

Board members who visited the campuses described W.B. Wicker as a markedly upgraded space compared with Warren Williams and said parents and staff are likely to welcome the change. The board asked staff to continue family and staff outreach and to return with any required approvals, detailed timelines and further cost information.

The board's action transfers pre-K students and associated operations to W.B. Wicker pending required state program approvals and local implementation planning.