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Caswell commissioners press schools over $19.9 million Oakwood grant and 5% local match
Summary
Board members said they were blindsided by Caswell County Schools’ application for a needs‑based capital grant for Oakwood Elementary that includes a roughly $989,800 (5%) local match; the school superintendent said including a 5% match has been standard practice and that restricted school capital funds or school lottery funds could cover the county portion with board approval.
Commissioners on the Caswell County Board pressed the school district on March 16 after learning a needs‑based school capital grant for Oakwood Elementary carries a roughly $19.9 million project cost and a 5% local match of about $989,800.
Superintendent Stokes said Oakwood’s application lists an $18.8 million needs‑based grant and that the district has historically included a 5% local match in its submissions. “Each application had a 5% local match on the application,” Stokes said, adding the district has followed that practice in recent grant cycles and that school lottery and restricted school capital outlay funds could be used to cover the local portion, subject to county approval.
Several commissioners said they first learned of the match from press reports or joint‑board minutes and said the board was not given advance notice that the application would require county money. “I think the taxpayers need to be aware that we didn’t have any idea about this until it’s gotten to this point,” Commissioner Rose said. Commissioners also questioned how the application was submitted and whose signatures appeared on the document.
Board members asked staff to seek clarification from the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction about whether the match requirement can be adjusted because the district is a tier‑1 county, and arranged a joint meeting with the school board at Oakwood on March 30 to review details and, if necessary, finalize signatures and authorizations. Stokes said the district can discuss scope adjustments with NCDPI and noted the grant has procurement and construction timing constraints: an April 1 procurement milestone and a multi‑year window to begin and complete construction.
The discussion did not include a vote to commit county funds; several commissioners said they would not support using general fund dollars for the match but were open to drawing on restricted school capital outlay funds if legal and procedural checks and a clear paper trail support the transfer. Superintendent Stokes agreed to provide more information on what the school board will contribute and to coordinate signatures and forms before the March 30 joint meeting.
