The Bladen County Board of Education is preparing to put to reroof several Bladen County Schools including those slated for consolidation.
The board has approved the use of lottery funds to make roofing repairs at Elizabethtown Primary, Bladen Lakes School, Clarkton School of Discovery, Booker T. Washington Primary School, Plain View Primary School, East Arcadia School, Bladenboro Primary School and Elizabethtown Middle School.
When asked why repair the roof on school buildings that are slated for closure, Superintendent Robert Taylor said, “Last year, the plans (for repairs) were put into place.”
He explained that in the spring of 2015, the board began to have discussion about consolidation options.
“Some of the buildings receiving roof repairs were already in process before the board met,” said Taylor.
He said that going forward, if a decision is made to close a school, repairs still need to be considered because the building could be utilized by the board for some other educational purpose or turned over to the county to be repurposed.
“We’re responsible for maintaining a building until a decision is reached. As long as the district maintains ownership of the building we have to keep maintaining it,” said Taylor.
As for the schools that are proposed for consolidation, a document called the School Closing Procedure prepared by the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction lays out specific instructions regarding the buildings and the procedures that must be followed.
The document states that the buildings must be evaluated by an engineer and a report given to the superintendent detailing the conditions of the buildings and detailing any repairs that must be made if the building is to continue to be used. The document also states that the report should include the details of the buildings’ capacity.
Other items to be considered when consolidating schools, according to the document, include enrollment figures, the financial costs of operating the facility, transportation costs, diversity and the alternative uses for the buildings.
The document also states that once the board makes a tentative decision to consolidate schools, the board is required by NC General Statute 115C-72 to hold a public hearing prior to closing the school.
The Board of Education is slated to discuss public hearing dates at their meeting on Monday.
Click here to view School Closing Procedure.
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