3 high schools or 1 still
expected to cause 4-cent hike
.
Cherokee County officials say a tax increase may be needed to completely fund a plan to consolidate the three high schools onto the same campus as the Schools of Innovation, which is already under construction.
If the county sees a decrease in state funding or the loss of grant opportunities, county officials estimate a minimum property tax increase of 4 cents will be needed to fund the consolidation project, assuming there are no financial surprises such as a decrease in sales tax revenue or drop in the county’s tax collection rate.
Phase 1 of the Schools of Innovation project – which will place Tri-County Early College High School, a vocational career academy and The Oaks Academy alternative school on one campus adjacent to Tri-County Community College in Peachtree – is already underway. The project is funded by $15 million provided through the state, plus $5 million of county sales tax revenue that school officials saved over the years.
A preliminary cost summary shows the county may need an additional $37,526,680 to fund the consolidation project, which will place Andrews, Hiwassee Dam and Murphy high schools on the same campus.
“The driving force for this plan has nothing to do with facilities,” said Dr. Jeana Conley, superintendent of Cherokee County Schools. “By moving these schools as a single unit to one location, the opportunities that this supplies our students would be outstanding.”
During a work session Thursday to present the plan to county commissioners, who must ultimately approve funds for the project, Conley said high school consolidation will significantly increase the number of athletic and academic programs available to students. Students are not afforded the same opportunities at each school today due to lack of funding and lack of resources needed to spread the knowledge across the county.
Cosmetology, culinary arts, electrical systems technology, welding technology and various medical courses are among the 34 programs that will be made available to all high school students through the consolidation effort.
“All of our students will have access to [these programs], not just kids who can afford cars or students whose parents can afford to drive them there, but every child who can climb on a school bus,” she said.
Even if commissioners decline to fund the project, county taxpayers will have to fund continued renovations at each high school. Officials estimate that a combined total of at least $15 million worth of renovations are needed to fix issues at Andrews, Hiwassee Dam and Murphy high schools.
“There’s going to be quite a bit of money needed no matter what route we take,” Conley said. “We have been spending $56,000 per month to patch and repair. That’s to stop the hemorrhaging; that’s not to improve.”
When addressing where some of the money to complete the consolidation project may come from, Conley said Cherokee County still expects $11 million from the state once the General Assembly passes a budget. Cherokee County will also be eligible for the Needs Based Public School Capital Fund grant again in 2023, which is money provided through state lottery funds that allowed the county to move forward with Phase 1 of the Schools of Innovation project.
School officials also pointed out the amount of money that will be saved by maintaining less athletic fields and the amount of funds that will be saved by only having to pay for utilities at one campus versus five.
Commissioner Jan Griggs said she sees the $37 million funding need as just the beginning and questioned whether school officials know the entire amount it would ultimately cost to not only construct a building on the new campus, but also establish ball fields and other amenities. She would like answers to various questions before making any further decisions regarding consolidation.
“I, personally, would like to see more of a complete plan,” Griggs said. “Eventually, you’re going to want a stadium out there, so that’s more money that’s going to be needed. I believe the residents of this county deserve a right to know where it ends with needing more money.”
Meanwhile, Commissioner Cal Stiles questioned what the future of education would entail, considering the increase in online learning due to the pandemic.
“Is it really going to be as much about brick-and-mortar as it has been in the past?” Stiles asked. “I support education, but only to the extent that the taxpayers can afford it. Some of us in here can afford an increase, but we have older couples that are on fixed incomes, and an increase in taxes is a difficult thing for them.”
Commissioner Gary “Hippie” Westmoreland said he is behind the school board’s decision to consolidate the high schools “100 percent.”
“We’re 15th from the bottom in what we pay in taxes out of 100 counties in the state of North Carolina. Nobody wants a tax increase. But would I support it? Yes, without a doubt,” Westmoreland said. “Our kids deserve more. Our community deserves more.”
Commissioner Dan Eichenbaum said he believes students should have multiple educational pathways available to them.
“That’s what allows them to choose what kind of a future they want for themselves,” Eichenbaum said, adding that the school system is inefficient. “I don’t think it’s just a question of brick-and-mortar. I think what we’ve spoken to tonight is efficiency. ... We have too many physical plants, and we do not have the funds to keep all of those physical plants running and staff them with teachers.”
He further added that families with school-age children will not want to live in Cherokee County if kids are not provided opportunities to learn and grow.
“What is the result of letting our school system fold away by attrition, which is what we’re doing?” Eichenbaum asked. “If we do not take advances to make our system more efficient, to give all the students what they need, what we’re saying is we don’t care enough about the school system.”