Orange County Schools board reviews 10-year CIP, readies bond planning and project updates

Orange County Schools officials presented a 10-year capital improvement plan and a bond planning timeline during a board meeting focused on capital spending and upcoming projects. The district said the CIP will serve as a cash-flow forecast to guide priorities such as a replacement elementary school, renovations and life-safety work across the district.

The presentation, led by Fred Davis, covered current projects and funding sources and explained that the district expects roughly $212,000,000 of capital needs across the next decade and that a $125,000,000 bond approved by voters in November 2024 will fund a portion of that work. Davis told the board the district will recommend “the first project that would be a part of the $125,000,000 over 10 years” to Orange County by the end of the fiscal year.

Board members asked for more detail on how prior capital allocations rolled forward into the current CIP. Davis and staff said about $41,000,000 in capital funding rolled from fiscal 2023–24 into the current planning year; of that, $19,000,000 is encumbered by contracts, $11,000,000 is allocated to new projects, and about $10,000,000 remains pending approval. Board members requested a formal reconciliation of those rolled-over funds before the district proceeds with county submissions.

Staff outlined active and near-term projects: the second phase of Orange High School renovations (restrooms, band room, paving), a New Hope Elementary building-envelope project (roof work; roughly 180 days from notice to proceed), a Cedar Ridge High School agricultural building that is scheduled for bidding in spring, vestibule security work at Pathways Elementary and Partnership Academy, replacement of eight air-handling units at ALS Standback Middle School, intercom upgrades and site-specific paving and play-surface work. Davis said the Cedar Ridge AG building is progressing through county planning and is expected to go to bid in March–April with construction starting in early summer.

The board discussed Efland Cheeks, where staff said phase 1 and phase 2 work is complete but plans for phases 3–4 are being held while districtwide priorities and the capacity picture are reevaluated. Davis said the district will revisit further phases if the board determines the ongoing needs warrant moving funds to that school.

Board members also raised specific facility items: a previously discussed cooling-tower replacement at Grady Brown, a reduction in a prior estimate for Orange Middle School from $70 million to $45 million in the current forecast, and a planned three-year, $6,000,000 pod renovation at Grady Brown. Davis said cost forecast changes reflect assumptions the district will refine as it chooses which projects to advance.

The board and staff agreed to place the CIP on the board consent agenda for the Monday meeting, with the understanding the document is a living plan that can be revised after the district’s meeting with county staff. Board members asked staff to provide an annual public report on project status and to make more detailed reconciliations of prior bond and capital rollovers available to the board before the county submission.

Votes at the meeting concerned routine business: the board approved the meeting agenda and the minutes and later adjourned; no formal board vote on adopting the CIP occurred during this session.

Board direction and next steps include continuing feasibility studies, stakeholder engagement through spring, developing project delivery and procurement plans once the initial project is chosen, and providing the county with the 2026-year funding request informed by the cash-flow schedule.

Davis and other staff emphasized that the CIP’s cash-flow format is intended to align the district’s bond-funded borrowing schedule with county debt obligations, prioritize immediate life-safety and HVAC work, and reserve design and project-management funding (roughly 10% of project budgets) for bond projects.

The presentation concluded with staff agreeing to supply the board a reconciled list of rolled-over capital funds and a project-status list that the board requested be updated at least annually, with ad hoc notices for material changes or completions.