Source: Rhino Times Greensboro

Airport Area High School Gets Kibosh

by Alex Jakubsen

January 10, 2013

The Guilford County Board of Education voted not to build an airport area high school and middle school at its Tuesday, Jan. 8 meeting.

The vote was preceded by a public comment period where several speakers on behalf of High Point Central High School criticized spending money on a new school when existing schools are badly in need of repairs and renovations.

A lack of classrooms and a lack of adequate space in the High Point Central cafeteria and media center were common complaints made by the speakers.

Anthony Sedberry suggested that $40 million of the $75 million bond funds that would be spent on the airport area high school be earmarked for improvements to High Point Central.

Other suggestions from speakers included relocating The Academy at Central currently in the Tomlinson building on the High Point Central campus.

One of the proponents of that idea was Keesha Pluim, who said she wanted both schools to get what they need.

The recommendation from the schools administration was to acquire land for the airport area high school and middle school and “consider realignment of the target area, based upon long-range school enrollment trends.” Chief Information Officer Terrence Young later said that “realignment of the target area” referred to redistricting.

Board member Calverna Foster asked, “You are saying there is no need to build a high school there right now, but it is prudent to acquire the land?”

Foster brought up the overcrowding at High Point Central. “Is it not prudent to look for land to alleviate that overcrowding, before we look for land just to have?”

Director of Facilities Planning Donna Bell replied that the original intent of the bond, which was approved by voters in 2008, was to alleviate overcrowding at Northwest High School.

Board member Ed Price asked if there had been any thought of putting an addition on Northwest High School instead of building another area high school.

Bell indicated that was a possibility but would involve the board reassessing the design capacity of schools.

School board member Nancy Routh said that enrollment in schools would continue to grow and that the board should move forward expecting to have to build more space. She said she did not think the overcrowding problems were exclusive to High Point Central.

Board member Jeff Belton said that the schools were overcrowded countywide, and that the new conservative Board of Commissioners may be unlikely to approve selling bonds for projects in the future.

Belton also made the point that the Board of Education can’t raise funds. “We can only spend the dollars as a board that we have. We can’t raise any money, and all the money we get, it comes with strings,” he said.

Belton also said he thought the current capacity limits for high schools were reasonable.

Board member Amos Quick said he would vote against the airport area high school. He suggested looking for land in “cheaper” areas of the county. “I don’t know why we’ve been so attached to the airport for this school,” he said.

School board member Darlene Garrett made the motion not to build an airport area high school and middle school and not to acquire the land. “I just don’t think it’s prudent to buy land if we’re not exactly sure where we want a school,” Garrett said.

While the motion was on the floor Chairman Alan Duncan seemed concerned as he described “a clash of two covenants.” On one hand he said that when the bond was passed by voters in 2008 there was a clear list of priorities, including an airport area high school.

“The other covenant that I think we always hold is that we have to be careful and good stewards of taxpayer dollars,” he said.

Duncan said that since the bond passed the airport had announced significant expansion, which made that area a less ideal location.

He said that the board had anticipated ongoing residential development in that area. “It’s now not reasonable to expect you’re going to have the ongoing residential development,” he said.

However, he said he was still concerned about whether or not the funds should be redirected, but said, “We have the legal authority; we have been advised by our attorney that we can do this.”

Price agreed that the situation had changed since the bond passed. “I think it would be foolish of us not to look at the changes that happened beyond our control,” he said.

Price also expressed skepticism about relying too heavily on enrollment projections. “Projecting enrollments is kind of a crapshoot,” he said.

The motion not to build the airport area high school or acquire the land passed 8 to 3. Duncan and school board members Linda Welborn, Sandra Alexander, Rebecca Buffington, Quick, Garrett, Price and Foster voted in favor. Board members Deena Hayes, Belton and Routh voted against it.

The board also heard a report on the 2011-2012 fiscal year financial audit. Aprille Bell of Dixon Hughes Goodman said the audit went smoothly and that there were no major issues found.

She noted that the revenue had exceeded expenditures, which she said could be used to make up for an anticipated drop in federal funding for 2013.

Routh commended the work of the Finance Department, and asked Bell if the department was being asked to do too much.

Routh said, “They are to be commended for the way they are managing our resources. But I don’t want to think that we are asking them to almost do the impossible when it comes to managing these amounts and the different types of grants.”

The school board also voted unanimously after a closed session to accept the offer of the High Point City Council to purchase roughly 10 acres of land at 301-305 Shadybrook Road for $300,000. The sale will still have to be approved by the Guilford County Board of Commissioners.