The school district says the amount commissioners have agreed to fund would only allow it to build a school for 550 students when Manning's current student population is 650.
“What’s the point of building a school and still have children in mobile units?” Manning PTA President Tabitha Grimes said in the statement. “As a parent, my main concern is safety. Manning is not safe. I’d much rather see our tax dollars spent wisely and have it done right the first time.”
The school district says under North Carolina law, counties are responsible for school construction. Roanoke Rapids school leaders have agreed to take a portion of their lottery funds to help with the project over the life of the loan.
Additionally, the district purchased the land off Tenth Street for the 84,000-square-feet facility.
The cost of building an elementary school for 700 students based on today’s state requirements, modern technology, and state of the art security is $21.5 million, it says. That figure includes furnishing it as well.
“We’re willing to recycle the desks, smart boards, technology, and other furnishings currently used at Manning,” said school board Chair Jay Carlisle in the statement. “That would bring the cost down to $20.6 million and include money to demolish the existing school and properly remove the asbestos.”
But, he said in the statement, “The total construction cost is more than just the bricks and mortar. I, too, would hate to see us build something that is too small for even our current student population.”
Several North Carolina-based architects have been interviewed, and they all came back with roughly the same estimate for basic building construction at $165 per square feet, which is below the state average last year of $198 per square feet.
“I remember this being talked about in 1997,” Renee Pearce, Belmont Elementary School PTA president, said in the statement. “The children of this county don’t stand a chance in today’s global economy if we don’t invest our tax dollars in them now in their foundational years.”
Said Pearce, “The children in the Manning area deserve at least what our children have at Belmont — a safe school and advanced learning environment. I encourage all parents in the district to voice their opinion to the commissioners. It’s long overdue.”
Board of Commissioners Chairman Vernon Bryant said he and County Manager Tony Brown have read the school system's statement and plan to release a more detailed statement soon.
“I feel that the board of commissioners, we're committed to building a new Manning school. We have already put in a million and the school system $200,000,” Bryant said this afternoon.
Bryant said the county has received information that shows a new school can be built ranging from $5 million to $40 million.
The commissioners chairman believes that for $19 million a safe, long-lasting school can be constructed. “If they want more then it's up to the school district. It's a stretch for the county to do what we are doing. We are committed. We have just given them a figure. It's up to them to figure how to work it. If they can't, they need to look at other things to make it happen. We have two other districts and have a lot of other needs. We're doing the best we can with what we can work with.”
Bryant said the county board stands committed to the $19.2 million. “They have to make it work and think outside the box.”
