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Interim superintendent outlines steps to seek NCDPI approval to co-locate schools, flags facility priorities
Summary
The interim superintendent presented a 10-step checklist from NCDPI for placing both schools on the same site, reviewed prioritized projects (water filtration, sludge ponds, asbestos, windows, press box safety) and said staff will return with required documentation for board approval.
The interim superintendent told the Caswell County Board of Education on July 13 that district staff have been working with the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction (NCDPI) on next steps to allow both schools to operate on a shared site and that a sequence of design, safety and operational checks must be completed before the board can approve the plan.
“The first one was if both are funded, both schools are both ones wanna be funded,” the superintendent said, summarizing NCDPI guidance. He walked the board through a checklist that the district will pursue: confirm fire-marshal permitting and occupancy/load calculations, identify a design team and prepare code summaries, assess water and sewer capacity for full enrollment, finalize school nutrition logistics and federal meal tracking, coordinate waste management and bus routing, request fire-marshal review of access and egress, and implement temporary striping, signs and pedestrian/drop-off plans if needed.
Board members asked about on-site logistics already in progress: one member asked why new cones had been added at South Elementary; the superintendent responded that staff had begun separating car and bus lines per board feedback and said the district expects to bring finalized documentation back to the board "hopefully by the next meeting." Members also raised a series of prioritized capital items for 2026–27 including a water-filtration upgrade at South Elementary, possible sludge-pond work at Sunny (Stony) Creek, asbestos abatement at some sites, window and door work in the high school, and replacement of an aging trailer. A board member flagged the football press box as a safety concern that should be elevated on the capital list.
Staff said they have some quotes on file but recommended a dedicated work session to review project scopes, updated quotes and how to apply available lottery and other funds. The board agreed to schedule a work session on July 27 to align goals and review budgets and project proposals.
What’s next: staff will work through the NCDPI checklist, assemble permits and documentation, and return to the board with a recommendation and any required approvals.
