By Erin Smith
The Bladen County Board of Education and the Board of Commissioners met on Monday afternoon to discuss the proposed consolidation and needs for Bladen County Schools.
Chairman Charles Ray Peterson read a prepared statement to those in attendance:
Dr. Taylor,
Thank you for meeting with us this afternoon to share the school system’s updated capital proposal. I believe it is important that we all have a clear understanding of this proposal and that Commissioners have the opportunity to ask any questions they may have.
I stated when we met on September 18 we understand that the Board of Education is responsible for developing policy related to the operation of the school system, including matters such as facilities and location of schools and that the Bladen County Board of Commissioners is responsible for providing county funds to support the operation of the schools.
We also understand that the Board of Education’s proposal in September provided an option for the Board of Commissioners to suggest ideas and we had discussed around possible ideas related to school facilities. However, at the time, our discussions were based on early proposals presented in September.
Also, since then, it has been clarified that grant funding from the Need Based Public School Capital Fund is limited to construction of new facilities.
I wanted, and I think it’s important, we did have small group meetings, and I wanted to review some of the things we talked about in the small groups and since you asked, we called the Institute of Government and we had another conference call. Since our responsibility is funding, but since you asked, it allows us to make suggestions pertaining to school system.”
From those group discussions, Peterson summarized the discussions. He said a proposal discussed by the Commissioners in their groups called for the proposed closure of Plain View Primary and moving those students to Dublin, moving students from East Arcadia to Elizabethtown Primary and Elizabethtown Middle School, moving fifth grade students from Booker T. Washington to Clarkton School of Discovery, moving the remaining students from Booker T. Washington to Bladenboro Primary School and Elizabethtown Primary School, and moving middle school students from Clarkton School of Discovery to Elizabethtown Middle and Bladenboro Middle School.
He said the proposed renovations were for Tar Heel Middle School, Clarkton School of Discovery and Dublin. Peterson said the proposed grade modifications were proposed for East Arcadia School by moving grades 5-8 to Elizabethtown Middle School and making East Arcadia a K-5 school.
Peterson said a couple of Commissioners in the group session also supported the “Plan B,” which included building two new middle schools.
“Since then, I understand the proposal has changed,” Peterson said. “So therefore, as Commissioners, we felt it important we fully understand the rationale for this revised school consolidation plan proposal and understand how it has been determined by the Board of the Education to now be the best approach for our county.”
Bladen County Schools Superintendent Dr. Robert Taylor said, “The proposal has not changed.”
Taylor told the Commissioners that the proposal presented to the board did contain all of the things mentioned by Peterson and, he argued, that the proposal also included a plan to construct a new K-8 school in Tar Heel, which would allow for the consolidation of Tar Heel Middle School and Plain View Primary School.
“At that particular time, the grant that made the $15 million available had not been on the table at that point (in September). That was something that was new that came out after the fact,” Taylor said.
He emphasized that the plan has not changed. Taylor said the board did vote at the most recent Board of Education meeting to move forward with the K-8 proposal for the building in Tar Heel because of the grant funding that has been available through the Need Based Public School Capital Fund.
Taylor said the application asks for the source and amount of the funds and the Commissioners and Board of Education must affirm the money is available. The application can be submitted at any point during the planning process.
Taylor added the Board of Education wanted to move the K-8 school construction up because of the deadline for the grant application. He told the Commissioners the deadline to submit the grant application is Aug. 30, 2018 and the grant award notifications will be sent Sept. 30, 2018. The county can apply for up to $15 million and the county requirement would be $10 million. Taylor estimated the K-8 building proposal to cost $25 million. He said there is really no good way to gauge the final costs for the proposal until the project actually goes out for bid.
Peterson asked Taylor if he could tell the Commissioners what the school board’s proposal is now as it appears to have changed to constructing one school from the original proposal of constructing two schools.
Taylor and Board of Education Chairman Vinston Rozier denied that the proposal had changed. Taylor said it was called to the Board of Education’s attention that there was a lack of support for the proposal. During the Summer Retreat with the Board of Education, Taylor said the board decided to design a “second option” that would encompass all of the original proposal and also include constructing two schools. A third option is for the Commissioners to make suggestions.
“The original proposal was to realign those schools and do a K-8 school at Tar Heel. Then, that is when we said if there is support to do two schools, obviously the board is not going to say no to that, but at the same time, tell us what it is that you like that is when you, Mr. Peterson, shared that it is not the board’s responsibility to tell the board what to do or how to do it. That is where the other proposal came from ,” Taylor said.
After further discussion, it was requested that the Board of Education generate a list of priorities for the school district including consolidation costs, construction costs and renovations needed and submit them to the Commissioners in a timely fashion for consideration.
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