Roanoke Rapids school district wins county approval to seek state school-construction grant; county pledges match not to exceed $3.1 million

The Halifax County Board of Commissioners on Aug. 4 approved the Roanoke Rapids Graded School District's request to submit a Needs-Based Public School Capital Fund grant application and committed the county to provide the required local match, not to exceed $3.1 million.

Dr. Julie Thompson, superintendent of Roanoke Rapids Graded School District, presented the district's advanced planning and rationale for switching this year's application focus to a new middle school on land already owned behind Belmont Elementary School. Thompson said Chandler Middle School, built in 1955, is undersized and carries significant deferred maintenance and traffic-safety issues. A new two-story middle school for 700 students (expandable to 850) on the Belmont property would separate bus and car queues and allow program consolidation and later renovation of the existing Chandler building.

Thompson and architect estimates from Smith Sinnett Architecture (presented in the packet) put the cost of a 700-student traditional middle school at approximately $63,248,441 including inflation and contingencies; a reduced 650-student design would be approximately $47,449,632. The district noted the state allotment for the Needs-Based fund is set by the legislature and last cycle’s maximum awards ranged from $42 million (elementary) to $62 million (high school), with middle-school maximums previously near $52 million. The district said a 5% local match would therefore be between about $2.3 million and $3.1 million depending on the final project scope and the state award.

County staff and the district recommended that the board approve submission and commit to the local match but allow staff to certify a not-to-exceed match amount. Commissioner Silver moved a motion that the county approve submission and commit to a local match not to exceed $3.1 million; Vice Chair Davis seconded. The board voted in favor.

Thompson said if awarded the district would proceed with design and a construction timeline anticipates bid-ready documents mid-2026 and construction to begin in late 2026 with a target completion in mid-2028. The board asked county staff to return with final numbers after NCDPI posts the official application and maximum grant amounts.