Pender County Schools outlines five-year capital improvement plan, asks county for additional local supplement

Pender County Schools Superintendent Brad Breedlove told the Pender County Board of County Commissioners at their retreat that the district is preparing for the 2025–26 school year with both operating cost pressures and a long‑awaited capital improvement plan (CIP).

Breedlove said the district is working with the state finance office and the Department of Public Instruction on budget expectations, and that statewide discussions currently assume a 3% pay increase for state employees and a small rise in employer retirement contributions and insurance costs. "We are looking at a 3% increase for all state employees," Breedlove said.

The district plans to ask the county for a 1 percentage point increase in the local salary supplement for certified staff (from 10% to 11%) and a 1 percentage point increase for classified staff (from 5% to 6%). Breedlove presented the district's estimate that a 1% increase in the local supplement would cost about $5.575 million for certified positions and about $848,000 for classified positions.

Breedlove described a recently completed facilities assessment, conducted by district staff and outside consultants including Cheatham Associates, that inventories roof, envelope, HVAC, plumbing, electrical, life‑safety and site needs by building. He said the CIP is organized by priority — urgent, high, medium and low — and that deferred maintenance for 2025–26 alone totals about $5.623 million based on the assessment.

On technology, Breedlove said the district now plans a seven‑year refresh cycle for Chromebooks (longer than prior five‑year plans) and a five‑year plan for ClearTouch panels, and that the district has embedded $1.5 million of federal ESSER funding for furniture needs approved by the school board two years ago.

Breedlove described an "advanced teaching roles" grant the district won that will fund stipends, training and Department of Public Instruction support for a program that pays higher‑performing classroom teachers additional stipends to coach other teachers and take on expanded instructional duties. "The grant will pay for everything but those additional stipends," Breedlove said, calling the program a way to reward and retain effective teachers without requiring them to move into administration.

On larger capital projects, Breedlove said the district included a placeholder line for future new school facilities (listed as $80 million in the spreadsheet as a talking point) and reiterated that the K–8 school currently under construction has a roughly $30 million building cost that will rise when furniture, fixtures and equipment are included. He said Topsail Middle School renovation and transportation facility needs will be priorities after the K–8 completion, and that transportation staffing and a permanent transportation facility warrant attention.

County commissioners asked for more detail tying bond projects to remaining bond proceeds and for prioritization of bond projects. Breedlove said he would work with the school board and the county on a clearer list of which bond projects remain unfunded and on sequencing.

Why it matters: the CIP and supplement requests will affect the county budget as the school system addresses aging buildings, a large backlog of deferred maintenance and teacher recruitment and retention in a tight regional market.

Next steps: Breedlove said he will provide commissioners with the full electronic CIP spreadsheet and a prioritized list of remaining bond projects and will work with county staff to coordinate school site planning with county growth planning.