State funds planning for Southern Rivers completion school; site costs and operations remain uncertain
Summary
The committee heard details about completion schools created by House Bill 87 (2023) and the planning appropriation for Southern Rivers. DOE staff said the legislature provided $2 million for planning Southern Rivers (opening planned for the 2026—27 school year) and that site-specific expansion and startup costs vary; Discovery Regional's pre-pl
Department staff briefed the committee on completion schools, the statutory framework under House Bill 87 (2023), and planning for Southern Rivers.
Completion schools explained: staff said completion schools are locally authorized LEAs that provide nontraditional high-school services including credit recovery, dropout prevention and extended hours. The first three conversion completion schools (Mountain Ed, Foothills and Coastal Plains) were formerly state charter schools; Discovery Regional High School converted and fully operated as a completion school in 2024—25.
Southern Rivers planning: the legislature appropriated $2,000,000 in FY26 for planning Southern Rivers, which DOE staff said is expected to open across multiple sites in the 2026—27 school year. Staff provided high-level budget categories with instructional salaries as the largest component, noted many expenditures will occur late in the fiscal year as staff are hired and trained, and said site readiness and infrastructure vary by location.
Facilities and site expansion: staff said one identified facility is in Schley County (the county board of education offices were discussed as an identified site), but that site expansion costs are site-specific and would drive maintenance and capital requirements. Staff said opening multiple small sites could be expensive; they referenced Discovery Regional's preplanning as a benchmark (about $3.4 million of ESSER funds used in the preplanning year to stand up multiple sites) and suggested $3.4—23.6 million as a planning target for Southern Rivers if replicating a six-site model.
Operations and funding gaps: staff said completion schools receive QBE dollars for LEA students but do not receive the state charter supplement or an independent local funding stream; staff reported the majority of completion students are LEA students (18+), with program students (16—218) remaining financially in the home district via memoranda of understanding. Staff and members discussed the potential need for additional operational and site funds to support multi-site expansion.
Follow-up requested: members asked for more detailed budget lines and timing for any future budget requests; DOE staff said Southern Rivers is in preplanning and that the department will provide more detailed materials as they are available.
