Duplin board says state awarded East Duplin project after DPI ranking; board vows to pursue funding for remaining high schools

The Duplin County Board of Education on Jan. 6 told a resident that East Duplin High School was selected by the state Department of Public Instruction for a need-based construction grant and that the district will keep pursuing funds for the other three high schools.

A resident who identified herself as Angela Vess Mainer asked the board why East Duplin had been chosen over Wallace Rose Hill or James Keenan. "Why is East Duke been chosen and not Wallace Rose Hill or James Skinner?" she asked during public comment.

A board member responded that the award came from a state, need-based DPI program and was not the county commission's decision. "It's a need-based grant that's given by DPI," the board member said, adding that the district submitted projects for DPI review and the state ranked them. The board member said East Duplin "allotted, like, $32,000,000 for East Duplin District." The chair added that about $400 million was available statewide for the program.

Board members said ranking was influenced by project factors such as the number of modular classroom replacements in a submission. "One of the biggest factors is those were the two that actually had the the top number of modular replacement classrooms," the chair said, explaining why East Duplin and James Keenan were the most favorable projects in the district's applications.

Board members stressed the award does not end work on the other sites. One member said the district and county commissioners have plans and designs for all four high schools and "we're still trying to fund the other three schools," noting that securing the East Duplin award means the commissioners "will not have to fund one of the projects." The board said it will continue coordinating with county officials to pursue funding for the remaining schools.

What happens next: board members said they will continue to work with county commissioners and pursue additional state or local funding for James Keenan, Wallace Rose Hill and the fourth high school. The board did not announce a timeline for design or construction on the other projects.

The board took no formal vote specifically related to the DPI award at the meeting; its discussion responded to a public comment and provided context about grant criteria and next steps.