BY KARISSA MILLER
The Iredell-Statesville Schools Board of Education on Friday approved a resolution requesting up to $200 million from Iredell County to pay for the construction of a new high school.
District officials emphasized that the $200 million is an estimate, and the actual costs will not be known until the project is put out for bids.
School board members voted 5-2 in support of the resolution. The school board will offer three options for funding construction of the new Weathers Creek High School to the Iredell County Board of Commissioners.
School Board members Abby Trent and Brian Sloan voted against the motion to request $200 million.
“Two-hundred-million is too much to ask. I think we can get it built for $120 million or so,” Trent said in an interview.
“Some of these prices are ridiculous,” Sloan said during the board’s discussion.
The cost estimates – on a per yard basis – are more than double residential construction costs, he said.
“I’ve dreaded this meeting all week because I hate waste and we’re wasting,” Sloan said.
Although the total cost remains uncertain, the board decided to request $200 million because the board doesn’t want to come up short on money and have to pay for any overage from the district’s capital fund budget.
The school board’s funding request and the funding options will be presented to the Board of County Commissioners on April 4. The school board also approved a separate motion asking commissioners to respond to the request by April 18.
Funding Options
I-SS Superintendent Jeff James pointed out that the resolutions are not intended to be an exhaustive list and that the board could discuss other options and variations.
♦ Option 1: County provides the funds
The Board of Education has determined a critical need for the construction of a new high school and requests the County to fund the construction of the proposed high school in an amount between $150,000,000 and $170,000,000 for construction and $20,000,000 and $30,000,000 for furniture, fixtures, and equipment (FF&E).
Under this option, the requested construction amount is a range based on the estimates provided by the project architect. The FF&E costs will be difficult to accurately estimate until the board has a better understanding of the school’s programming, including Career Technical Education programs.
♦ Resolution Option 2: Private-public partnership
The Board of Education has determined a critical need for the construction of a new high school and requests the County join with the Board of Education in seeking a private-public partnership with a private developer, which will provide at least fifty percent (50%) of the financing needed for construction of the new high school, with any remaining balance to be funded by the County.
Some points to consider include:
• The school board and county would seek formal proposals from private vendors.
• There is the possibility that the selected developer would finance more than 50 percent of the construction cost.
• If the county is not required to borrow additional funds to make-up any difference in the total cost of construction and the amount paid by the private developer, the county would not necessarily need to be a party to the development agreement between the district and the private developer. However, the school board and county would need to come to an agreement on the payments to the developer.
♦ Resolution Option 3: Private vendor to provide major mechanical
The Board of Education has determined a critical need for the construction of a new high school and requests the County to fund the construction of the new high school in an amount between $120,000,000 and $140,000,000 for construction and $20,000,000 and $30,000,000 for FF&E. Further, the Board requests the County to join with the Board of Education in contracting with a private vendor, which will provide the major mechanical equipment, as well as its installation and maintenance at the new school, with such cost being amortized over the life of the mechanical equipment.
Inflation drives up costs
Skyrocketing material and construction costs have increased the estimated price tag for Weathers Creek High School, forcing I-SS officials and county commissioners to make some difficult choices.
In March 2020, Iredell County voters approved a one-cent property tax rate increase to fund new construction projects for I-SS, Mooresville Graded School District and Mitchell Community College.
Commissioners committed to spending $80 million for the news I-SS high school. Now, three years later, the estimated cost of building the new school at the site off Overcash Road in Troutman has jumped to $177 million-plus.
The estimated construction timeline for building the new high school is three years.
This is crazy. I’m afraid I have to agree with Trent and Sloan on this one. NC DPI has a list of recent school projects (2015-2021) and the most expensive school was West Charlotte High in 2020 at a little under $79M ($254/sq ft). The most expensive by sq. ft. was Fuller Elementary in Wake County, also in 2020, at $294/sq. ft. ($31M total). Inflation’s bad, but it ain’t that bad. And I understand there is substantial site work to be done. But a $200M school would blow the record books for NC. This is not how to spend taxpayer’s hard-earned money. Reference from NC DPI: https://www.dpi.nc.gov/documents/schoolplanning/school-costs-project/download
If recent inflation has driven prices up this much, the project should be tabled until prices deflate and this can be a more affordable project. What’s the rush? Are the current schools at full capacity?
Construction cost isn’t the only consideration. We then have to pay to run that school every year. The new school will require a full staff. Do we really need another set of principals, office, counseling, lunch, janitorial, coaching, bus drivers? If we can’t fill all our teaching and driver vacancies now, where are we getting enough for a new school? What kind of school system might we have if we put even a fraction of that $200 million into our existing staff and schools?
Obviously, Larry and Laura are likely living under a rock as most of the schools in the area are at or well above capacity. I do agree that the cost is ridiculous, but the influx of people into this area and inflation are also ridiculous. Can’t stop it.
Get it together. We need schools. Laura, staff is paid for per pupil, so regardless, if they build one school or 15 you don’t know what you’re talking about.
That said, most of the school board doesn’t know what it’s talking about. Aren’t Trent and Sloan the biggest knuckleheads of this group of Iredell good ol’ boys?
Build a school.
Larry, I have a senior who just graduated, so am aware of the school situation. Student populations rise and fall, and the answer isn’t always new schools, nor does more brick and mortar address all the issues. We had large classes and fewer options because there wasn’t enough staff to teach. A new building won’t fix that. The bus schedule changed daily because there weren’t enough drivers. Students sometimes had to wait for a second round of buses. More schools don’t solve that problem. Throwing money at new buildings is a popular decision, but not necessarily the most thoughtful. Temporary classroom space isn’t fatal, and if you can’t even staff the schools you have with larger classrooms, how are you going to staff a new school? More students is also more efficient if you can find the staff to offer niche or advanced classes. It is better to have 15 students vs 5. School sizing should be looked at holistically, not just with blinders on chanting “build more!”
Sadly, Trent and Sloan were the only two to do the right thing and represent the people whose money I-SS wants to spend. $200 million is a ridiculous amount to request. It’s time for the County Commissioners to stand up and say enough is enough!
County commissioners need to stop allowing educators to design schools that are full of wants and not needs. This plan has way too much dedicated to athletics and not enough to education. Stop hiring architects who are paid on percentage of cost and turning them loose to design something we can’t afford. We need more oversight in the design process.
As Iredell county’s population grows, you are going to have to build schools. It is needed. Inflation is real and unavoidable with any project. Why not have developers contribute to the cost of building schools by charging a development fee or raising it? That will never happen though because we all know that developers have Raleigh in their pocket and want to build then run to leave the communities and government to deal with all of the costs.