Brunswick County commissioners voted on Oct. 20 to move forward with a proposed $349,600,000 general-obligation school bond referendum and place the measure on the November general-election ballot, with the board to finalize the exact resolution and language in spring.

The Brunswick County Board of Education had requested the commissioners place the referendum on the March primary ballot; county and school leaders instead debated timing for several hours. Superintendent Cole told the board the requests are based on current development approvals and demographic projections and said, “building new schools now is critical to address, student growth and capacity demands at our schools.”

Supporters, including members of the board of education and some commissioners, said the bond would fund two new seats-bearing schools in the fast-growing North Region, replace or reduce use of modular classrooms and invest in districtwide upgrades such as intercom and bleacher replacement. Cole outlined that 93% of the proposed spending would buy land, design and build one elementary school and one high school; other items in the package include an extension of Governors Road to improve emergency access to the Town Creek complex and site improvements such as a multipurpose turf field and a new softball field house.

Opponents and some commissioners were less concerned with the bond’s need than with campaign timing. Commissioner Sykes said she supported the bond in principle but opposed placing it on the primary because she and outside consultants told her the four-month outreach window before early voting would be insufficient to run an effective campaign. Commissioner Williams proposed putting the bond on the general-election ballot to allow a longer campaign period and to broaden outreach; several other commissioners supported that approach.

Commissioners discussed phasing of the tax impact described by staff: the county’s finance official estimated three separate tax-rate increases that together would amount to about 5.74 cents per $100 of assessed value phased over the bond issuance schedule. The board heard officials explain that construction inflation could increase the cost of projects if delayed.

After discussion and amendments on timing, the board approved a motion to put the bond on the general-election ballot and to use the current package as a tentative framework with final numbers to be adopted by resolution in late spring. The board asked county staff and the school district to begin public engagement immediately and to incorporate public feedback before adopting the final resolution. The motion carried; a formal roll-call tally was not recorded on the public audio transcript.

The next formal step for the county is to adopt a resolution with a final, exact amount and ballot language by the deadlines required for election administration and Local Government Commission review. County staff told commissioners that the finance director will need the final figure roughly six months before the election so that required filings and calculations can be completed.

Commissioners and school leaders agreed to continue coordination on outreach and timing; the superintendent said schools would begin public presentations and stakeholder engagement once the board’s action cleared the way.

Looking ahead, the school district’s planned timeline noted an opening of a new elementary school in 2028 and a new high school in 2031 if the referendum is approved.

Ending: The board’s approval starts a multi-month public engagement and legal process to prepare ballot language and finance filings. County staff will return with final resolution language and a detailed tax-impact schedule for adoption later in the spring.