Pickens County board approves $7.22 million junior‑high GMP, construction manager and budget moves

The Pickens County Board of Education voted June 11 to move forward on major school construction projects and to approve related budget adjustments.

At the meeting the board approved a guaranteed maximum price (GMP) with Carol Daniels Construction of $7,219,591 for additions at Pickens Junior High School and named Carol Daniels Construction as the construction manager for the Jasper Middle School renovation under RFP 2026‑02. The board also approved a change order for the growth facility and track renovation at Dickens High School; during the construction update staff cited the change‑order amount as $27,643. All motions were moved, seconded and approved by voice vote.

Assistant Superintendent for Operations Chris Barber walked the board through the standard project sequence — planning and design, RFP for a construction manager, then a GMP once pricing is finalized — and said the district expects major work across all six schools in roughly the next 14 months. "From now until August of next year, 14 months, we will have done something major in all six schools," Barber told the board as he previewed the contracts and the GMP vote.

CFO Amy Smith said the board-approved GMPs and construction commitments have been budgeted alongside the district's capital plan. On budget matters Smith noted the district is closing FY26 and preparing FY27: general fund revenue collected through May stands at 87.73% of the budget and expenditures at 77.35%, and the proposed FY27 general fund expenditures total $64,565,119 — a decrease of 0.79% from FY26. "This budget's expenditures are going to exceed our revenue by a little over $2 million," Smith said, adding the district plans to cover that shortfall from fund balance and conservative revenue estimates.

The meeting also included approval of a FY26 budget amendment (described in the preceding work session as an internal reallocation, not an increase), adoption of the tentative FY27 budget, and approval of the FY27 salary schedules. The board gave final approval to two policies — BCBI (public participation in board meetings) and JCD‑AG (bullying) — and approved a small increase in student meal prices (a $0.25 increase for lunch and $0.05 for breakfast).

Votes at a glance • Change order (growth facility and track renovation, Dickens High School): approved (change order amount noted as $27,643). • RFP 2026‑02 (Jasper Middle School) — Carol Daniels Construction selected as construction manager: approved. • GMP — Pickens Junior High additions, Carol Daniels Construction, $7,219,591: approved. • FY26 budget amendment (reallocation): approved. • Tentative FY27 budget: approved. • FY27 salary schedule: approved. • Policies BCBI and JCD‑AG: approved. • School meal price adjustments: approved.

What happens next: the construction managers will proceed to develop the GMPs and pricing details for active projects, and the district will close FY26 while finalizing FY27 numbers and preparing required public hearings and subsequent budget amendments if federal grant estimates change.