McDowell County Board of Education members heard Tuesday that the district has been awarded a $42,000,000 capital needs grant from the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction to build a new consolidated elementary school.

"We received a $42,000,000 grant," Superintendent Dr. Tracy Grit told the board, describing the award as the product of multiple studies, site purchases and conversations with state officials. The superintendent said the grant will fund a new combined campus for Eastfield Global Magnet and Marion Elementary School and thanked state legislators and agency staff who supported the application.

The board heard an early site-and-program presentation from Holland and Hammock Architects. Patrick McMurray said the preliminary concept is for a roughly 105,000-square-foot, two-story building with about 38 classrooms and district-specific spaces similar in scale to Old Fort Elementary. "Because of the site constraints, we will be looking at a two-story 105,000 square foot, roughly 38 classrooms," McMurray said, while noting "nothing is set in stone" and design work will continue through focus groups with teachers, maintenance staff, students and parents.

Superintendent Grit outlined the multi-year rationale for the consolidation: a facility needs assessment beginning in 2020, follow-up studies in 2022–24, declining average daily membership (about a 98-student drop this year) and an interlocal agreement with McDowell County that supported site acquisitions and environmental testing. She said the district expects to have clearer timelines and community input plans by March.

District officials emphasized that further approvals, design decisions and funding allocations remain to be completed. The superintendent said the district anticipates using local contractors when possible to return project dollars to the community and that the new campus is intended to preserve program continuity while upgrading aging buildings.

The board did not take a formal vote on the facility concept at Tuesday’s meeting; members asked technical and schedule questions and were briefed on next steps including community focus groups, coordination with NCDPI and municipal/transportation reviews. Superintendent Grit said the board and administration will return with more detailed budget, site and program information as design work proceeds.