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Duplin County schools outline $125M high-school renovation plan; East Duplin awarded $32.5M state grant
Summary
Duplin County Schools presented a four-high-school renovation plan totaling about $125 million and said East Duplin received a $32.5 million state needs-based grant; county and school officials said they will seek additional grants to fund the remaining work for the three other high schools.
Duplin County Schools presented a consolidated plan to renovate four traditional high schools and said the county has secured a $32,500,000 state needs-based grant for East Duplin.
The schools’ presenter told the Duplin County Board of Commissioners that the renovation package would replace modular classrooms, add gymnasiums and cafeterias where needed, improve parking, and complete interior renovations. He provided a rough total cost across the four districts of $125,000,000, with individual projects ranging from about $28 million to $35 million.
The presenter said the district submitted two separate applications to the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction’s needs-based grant program — East Duplin and James Keenan — because applications are per project and funding is allocated across multiple projects. "No one in Duplin County, not the board of commissioners, not the board of education, had anything to do with the selection process," he said, referencing community questions about why East Duplin was chosen. He added: "Either way, it's a win for Duplin County. It's a win for Duplin County schools. It's $32,500,000 that we ain't got to find." (Speaker: school presenter)
Board members and school officials emphasized that all four high schools remain priorities. Commissioners said they will continue seeking state and other grant funding and noted local options such as referenda could be part of future funding strategies.
The presenter said the needs-based program has been funded by the General Assembly at about $400,000,000 in recent cycles and that single applications are submitted per project; the county must provide any required local match. A county official on the record said the match requirement for the needs-based program had previously involved a 5% local match. The schools representative said grant award amounts vary and that construction and replacement of modular classroom space were important scoring factors.
The presentation included an explanation of project sequencing and a reminder that the districts’ attendance lines would not change as part of the plan. School officials invited questions and reiterated they will pursue additional grant opportunities to address the remaining three high-school projects.
The board received the update during the meeting's presentation segment and offered unanimous support for moving forward with seeking funding for the remaining projects.
