North Carolina Superintendent Mark Johnson has announced that $55 million in grant funds from the Needs-Based Public School Capital Fund will be awarded this year to school districts in Edenton-Chowan, Hoke, Robeson, and Wayne counties. The grant awards will allow for construction of new school buildings in these economically distressed areas. 

“This is the fourth year these funds have been made available to benefit our students and educators who have had to deal with outdated facilities,” Johnson said. “These grants will help address our state’s need to replace old, outdated schools with better learning environments. “ 

Awards include: 

Edenton-Chowan County: $15 million to build phase 1 of a new high school to replace the existing John A. Holmes High School. Phase 1 will be an approximately 74,500 sq. ft. building consisting of general classrooms, central administration area and lobby, music rooms and media center. ($20 million total project cost).  

Hoke County: $10 million to build the SandHoke School of Engineering. This will be a state-of-the-art facility that will include 27 classrooms/labs that will support applied studies in the field of engineering and be located on the Hoke County campus of Sandhills Community College ($28.19 million total project cost). It will also relieve overcrowding at other facilities. 

Robeson County: $15 million to build the Robeson County Career and Technology Center that will support 1,200 students and provide space for training, meetings, classrooms and labs ($82.3 million total cost).  

Wayne County:  $15 million for the replacement and expansion of Fremont Elementary School. The project will replace the original building that dates back to 1923 as well as two additions built in 1955 and 1991 ($23 million total cost).  

The fund was created by the General Assembly to assist school districts in lower-wealth counties through revenue from the North Carolina Education Lottery. Awards are capped at $15 million per project in Tier 1 (most distressed) counties and $10 million per project in Tier 2 counties. The law requires a local match of $1 for every $3 in grant funds in Tier 1 and $1 for every $1 in Tier 2. The fund was created to assist lower-wealth counties with their critical public school building capital needs. 

County applications were reviewed based on priorities provided in the law, including ability to generate revenue, high debt-to-tax revenue ratio, and the extent to which a project will address critical deficiencies in adequately serving the current and future student population. 

An emphasis was placed on projects that were far enough along in the planning process that construction could begin within 12-18 months. 

“I look forward to seeing these projects get under way in the coming months,” said Superintendent Johnson. “I thank the General Assembly for making these funds available to help schools in areas that are most in need.” 

Over the last four years, the Needs Based Public School Capital Fund has awarded a total of $298 million dollars to 26 local school districts, resulting in 26 new schools or buildings and the replacement of 29 existing schools.  

EDENTON-CHOWAN COUNTY 

“Edenton-Chowan Schools is thankful for Superintendent Johnson and the State's support of Tier 1 counties by providing funds to build a state-of-the art educational facility for generations to come.  This investment will greatly expand learning opportunities and will provide modernized spaces that will elevate our children to be future-ready.” 

Michael Sasscer, Interim Superintendent  Edenton-Chowan County Schools 

HOKE COUNTY 

“On behalf of Hoke County Schools, we thank State Superintendent Johnson for selecting our Needs-Based Public School Capital Fund 2020 Grant Application to be funded. In partnership with Sandhills Community College and Hoke County Board of Commissioners, we plan to build SandHoke School of Engineering which will offer the students of Hoke County tremendous opportunities. The SandHoke School of Engineering will provide additional college pathways for students pursuing an Associate in Applied Science degree, and will also address the issue of equity by focusing efforts on encouraging our female students to pursue careers in Engineering and Computer Science.  Additionally, this school will allow Hoke County Schools to address the growth of our student population while saving capital funds for future school construction projects.” 

Freddie Williamson, Superintendent  Hoke County Schools 

ROBESON COUNTY 

“We are very appreciative and excited about what the Needs Based Grant can mean for the Public Schools of Robeson County. We plan to use this grant as well as other funds for several construction projects. Again, thank you for selecting the Public Schools of Robeson County.”  

Loistine DeFreece, Interim Superintendent  Robeson County Schools  Craig Lowry, Chairman of the Board  Robeson County Schools 

“As a partner in education for Robeson County and the region, UNC Pembroke is excited to support the efforts of the Public Schools of Robeson County to meet students' needs with innovative approaches to instruction preparing them to be lifelong learners.” 

Kevin Wilkinson, Executive Director of External Affairs  UNC Pembroke 

WAYNE COUNTY 

“This is a great opportunity for the town of Fremont and the Northern End of Wayne County. Building a new Fremont Elementary is and has been a joint effort by many people who have a vision for Wayne County Public Schools. I would like to extend my appreciation to NCDPI, Representative John Bell and Senator Jim Perry, my fellow Board of Education members, the Wayne County Board of Commissioners and its late chairman, Ray Mayo, for their support and many contributions to bringing this project to fruition for our students and community.”  

Don Christopher West, Wayne County Board of Education Chair  Wayne County Schools   

“Replacing our aging elementary school in Fremont is critical to ensuring our students are safe. This facility, built in 1923, is one of the oldest in the state of North Carolina. Thanks to NCDPI, and everyone who made this grant possible, Fremont will soon have a new school that will provide a quality learning environment for years to come.” 

Joe Daughtery, Wayne County Board of Commissioners Vice-Chairman 

For more information: 

NCDPI Communication and Information Division, 984-236-2000.