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Board hears facilities study update, debates PTO insurance and supports historical marker for Black school site
Summary
District staff reported campus walkthroughs and data work for a facilities master plan due early 2026; the board debated facility-use insurance requirements for PTOs and agreed to pursue a historical marker for the South French Broad/Stevens Lee site, with staff to explore funding and student involvement.
School administration told the board the district's 60-day facilities study has completed building walkthroughs, gathered digital drawings and enrollment projections, and will provide preliminary findings over coming months to inform a master facilities plan.
"All of our facility walk throughs are complete," a staff presenter said, adding the leadership team will start engineering assessments, cost modeling and community engagement planning; the firm leading the study will provide preliminary findings in the next two meetings and a comprehensive report by early 2026.
The board spent an extended segment discussing facility-use policy and whether outside user groups — including PTOs and FTOs — must furnish certificates of insurance (COIs) for evening events. Legal counsel said the district has statutory immunity for volunteers and many uses, but the insurer will not cover events lacking a COI. "If there is an event on campus that is not school sponsored and we don't have a certificate of insurance, then the insurance carrier will not provide coverage for that," legal counsel Anna said. Board members raised equity concerns for small PTOs that cannot afford event insurance and suggested workarounds such as allowing principals to sponsor low-risk activities or connecting PTOs with umbrella coverage through partners like United Way.
Separately, alumni requested a historical marker acknowledging the history of South French Broad/Stevens Lee as the site that housed Black students during segregation. Maggie said alumni offered to help fund the marker, but staff will also look for district funding. Board members voiced unanimous support for proceeding with student involvement in drafts and for staff to return with a placement and funding plan.
The staff also noted forthcoming capital items — demolition at a high school campus and chiller-replacement quotes — that will return as action items when procurement is complete.
