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Cherokee High replacement finished under budget; district sets August move-in and surplus plans
Summary
District staff told the Cherokee County School Board the new Cherokee High School replacement is on schedule and within budget: site work came in at $22.8 million (below an original $23.5 million estimate), building base bid $179 million, and conditional certificates of occupancy have been received. Student occupancy is scheduled for August 3, 2026, and the district will begin relocating staff and athletics in June–July.
District presenters gave the board a comprehensive update on the Cherokee High School replacement, confirming the project is on time and under the originally projected site budget and on track for student occupancy in August.
The board-approved site package (originally budgeted at $23,500,000) was completed at about $22,800,000, and the building package had a base bid of $179,000,000, presenters said. Conditional certificates of occupancy have been received for the entire campus, and the district reported the project is ready for student occupancy on August 3, 2026.
District staff noted state reimbursement eligibility of just under $33,000,000 for the CHS replacement; $28,400,000 of that amount has already been received, the presentation said. Administrative staff relocation to the new campus will begin in June, with staff transfers in July, athletics moves from June to mid-July, and classroom teacher moves scheduled June 8–26.
The presenters also reviewed related transition activity: a community open house and ribbon-cutting on April 28 that drew roughly 4,000 visitors, coordination on traffic routing with Canton and district police, and ongoing work on final landscaping, technology and safety systems. Board members were told that both the current and new Cherokee High School facilities will be unavailable for outside groups beginning May 31 to facilitate a smooth transition.
District staff outlined plans to appraise and inventory the current CHS property after the move and to present surplus auction proposals to the board in October 2026; proceeds from any sale were described as designated to expand workforce-readiness and career-experience programs across CCSD high schools.
Why it matters: the update commits the district to specific occupancy and relocation dates and notes substantial state reimbursement already received for the replacement project. The timeline and budget details are operationally important to parents, staff and taxpayers who will be affected by the campus transition.
– "That project is currently within budget and on schedule for student occupancy in August of this year," a district presenter said as the presentation concluded.
No board action was required at the end of the update; the board accepted the report and moved on to related items, including traffic planning with Canton.
