Martin County Schools awarded $62 million state grant to build new high school

Martin County Schools announced it has been awarded a $62,000,000 construction grant from the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction to build a new Martin County High School, district leaders said at the Oct. 7 board meeting.

The superintendent, Dr. White, said the award comes from a needs‑based public school capital fund and was granted at the program maximum. "These funds are for new school construction or additions, repairs, renovations of existing facilities," Dr. White said. She added that the grant "did not come from Martin County" and cannot be used for teacher pay or other county needs.

School leaders said building the new high school on the current campus was part of the feasibility work done with an architect and that doing so avoids buying land and rebuilding athletic facilities. Dr. White said building on the existing site saves the district money, asserting it would save "upwards of $30,000,000" compared with building at a different location; the board did not present an independent verification of that estimate during the meeting.

District officials described an initial planning period and a multi‑year construction schedule under the grant rules: one year for planning, a requirement to begin construction within two years and to complete the project within five years. Dr. White said the plan allows students to continue attending school in the current building while construction proceeds.

Officials said next steps include selecting a bidding method, hiring an architect and presenting options to the board on how to manage the procurement and construction process. The district plans to publish an FAQ to answer community questions about funding, timing and site selection.

The board’s discussion of the grant began when Dr. White announced the award during her report and continued later in the meeting during a detailed Q&A and presentation of the feasibility rationale.