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Macon County examines $100 million Franklin High School plan as schools warn of $1.5M shortfall
Summary
Architects presented updated Franklin High School drawings and a current cost estimate of $100,239,509; school officials told commissioners ESSER relief funding ends in 2024 and the district needs roughly $1.5 million in local funding to maintain current services.
Paul Boney, with architecture firm LS3P, told the Macon County Board of Commissioners at a May 30 special work session that LS3P is finishing construction documents for Phase I of a proposed Franklin High School (FHS) replacement and that the firm’s "current cost estimate is $100,239,509," a figure Boney said continues to change as design and material specifics are finalized.
Emily Kite of LS3P presented two timing options: one that would let the stadium be built in November 2023 and FHS construction begin in spring 2024 under a single contractor if the county authorizes concurrent work by mid‑July, and a second option that would treat stadium and school as separate contracts with some overlap if the county delays authorization. Boney recommended the board authorize the construction‑document and bidding phases and approve the single‑contract approach to keep the projects coordinated.
Mitch Bugillio of Davenport and Associates reviewed the county’s debt ratios and a multi‑year Capital Improvement Plan that includes the FHS project and summarized funding scenarios for a large school construction cost. Dr. Chris Baldwin, superintendent of Macon County Schools, said the district’s total current budget is $48,929,569.81, with about $38 million from the state and roughly $10 million from the county. Baldwin said the state estimate for the year was 4,471 students and cited an $11,000 per‑student annual figure, which he framed as roughly "$60 per child per day." The district provided this budget detail as context for the scale of the FHS proposal and other local needs.
School finance officer Angie Cook and Assistant Superintendent Josh Lynch told commissioners the district pays staff from state funds first, federal funds second and county funds last; they said ESSER COVID‑relief funding that supports 18 positions (including several mental‑health roles) will end in 2024. Lynch said driver shortages have made it necessary to pay overtime for some staff and to have teacher assistants drive buses; to preserve current service levels the district estimates it will need about $1.5 million, which would draw heavily on the district’s fund balance if not offset by new state, federal or county funding.
The board also received a Memorandum of Understanding between the county and the Board of Education that reaffirms the Parties’ commitment to the Project, notes more than $1 million already spent on LS3P schematic and design development, and states the Parties have applied to the North Carolina General Assembly for possible Needs‑Based Public School Capital Fund grant support (the MOU references up to $60 million proposed in the General Assembly’s budget language). Chair Paul Higdon said the MOU will be added to the June 13 agenda for further consideration.
Next steps: LS3P said it would return a cost update in mid‑July if the county provides timely authorization to proceed; commissioners did not vote on the FHS project during the May 30 work session.
