Caswell County commissioners and school board members met jointly on Jan. 13 to review school performance metrics, capital projects and the county budget schedule. County and school staff reported recent gains in graduation rates, discussed large renovation plans for Oakwood Elementary and requested capital funding for immediate maintenance at South Elementary.

A school presenter said Caswell recorded a graduation rate of 88.5% last year and that 83% of schools met or exceeded growth expectations. The presenter also said the district currently counts 2,341 enrolled students overall and reported 346 students attending charter schools; the speaker emphasized that the county must pay a local share to charter schools monthly based on average daily membership and that once funds are sent they are not recoverable if a student returns to county schools.

Brooke (school staff) described planned capital work at Oakwood Elementary: consolidating roughly 30 existing HVAC units into a single central system, addressing roofing and electrical needs and conducting architect walk-throughs before major work. Speakers cited an $18,000,000 figure connected to the project’s grant and planning; staff said initial work could begin this year with the main construction phase starting within the next two years and a hoped-for completion in 2028, though timelines depend on phasing and where students can be relocated during construction.

School maintenance staff also reported an unexpected failure of the South Elementary water treatment facility, estimating $70,000 to fix the system (about $7,900 already spent); the staff requested the board consider adding that amount into the current capital outlay plan (the staff referenced an $888,000 capital request sheet for the fiscal year).

County finance staff summarized the FY27 budget development calendar the board adopted in December and reiterated dates relevant to schools: the county will issue a capital improvement plan file Jan. 16, schools are asked to submit budget/CIP requests by March 25 (the county’s requested date is earlier than the statutory May 15 deadline), a preliminary CIP draft is expected by April 27, and a county work session with department heads is scheduled for May 12. The board adopted the FY27 calendar at its Dec. 12 meeting (agenda item noted in the transcript).

Building and planning staff noted the county posts building permit reports online (July 1–year end) and discussed sharing geographic permit data to help schools plan for enrollment shifts and bus routing. Board members also raised the civic center’s operating shortfall, noting maintenance and utilities often exceed rental revenue and that past grant-supported programming diminished after the death of a community-school coordinator.

Votes at a glance:
- FY27 budget development calendar: adopted by the County Board of Commissioners (adoption recorded in meeting materials and discussed in the joint session). (See provenance.)
- Motion to adjourn: moved, seconded by Mr. Berg and approved by voice vote.

Provenance: School performance, charter payment mechanics and Oakwood/South capital needs are discussed beginning at SEG 905 through SEG 1631; budget calendar details and deadlines are documented in SEG 1829–SEG 1922; motion to adjourn is at SEG 2258–SEG 2271.