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Davie County High School awarded $1.5M Golden Leaf grant for manufacturing lab but faces $1.5M shortfall
Summary
Davie County Schools received a $1.5 million Golden Leaf grant to build an advanced manufacturing lab and associated flexible classroom space, but construction bids around $2.75 million leave roughly $1.5 million in additional capital to finish the project beyond a basic shell.
David Koontz and Will Morris told the county commissioners that Davie County Schools was awarded the full $1.5 million allocation from Golden Leaf to build an advanced manufacturing lab aimed at meeting local industry demand and expanding credentialing opportunities for students.
"This is essentially going to be a training facility for the job force," Will Morris said, summarizing findings from the school's required Comprehensive Local Needs Assessment (CLNA) and noting waiting lists for several CTE courses.
Koontz said the grant amount effectively reduces to about $1.3 million after architecture and engineering costs, while construction bids came in at approximately $2.75 million, leaving an estimated additional capital need of about $1.5 million to deliver the full program rather than a minimal shell.
Presenters described donated equipment currently housed at Davidson's Davie campus (Davidson'Davie Community College) that the school needs the facility to accommodate. They outlined a phased approach: build a weather-tight shell initially and outfit flexible classroom and maker-space areas as additional funds become available.
Elise Wooldridge described development of pre-apprenticeship and apprenticeship pathways tied to the facility, including a fire academy and EMT pathway, and noted that students who complete apprenticeship pathways may have community-college tuition waived.
Commissioners asked about private pledges and federal or state grant outreach. Presenters said there have been soft expressions of interest from local employers but no firm pledges. They reported outreach to state contacts (including Julia Howard and Senator Budd) and conversations about federal grant possibilities; the presenters said they could request an extension from Golden Leaf if the construction timetable slips.
Next steps: School representatives said they will continue fundraising and partnership outreach, pursue potential state or federal funding and report progress back to the board; staff and commissioners offered to help arrange legislative contacts.
