Superintendent Dain Butler requested county commissioners release $250,000 for the building, which would be built on Jefferson Street beside the Roanoke Rapids High School junior parking lot.
The money commissioners agreed to appropriate is part of the first phase of the project, along with an additional $250,000 the school system approved last month.
Butler said once the early college concept is approved by the state Department of Public Instruction the school system will seek grant funding to outfit the building for a total construction price of $780,000.
Anticipated construction of the building is expected to begin in April. The timeline for the second phase of construction, according to a PowerPoint Butler presented to commissioners, is as follows:

June — RRGSD and Halifax Community College faculty write and submit the Cooperative Innovative High School application to the state Department of Public Instruction

January, 2018 — Notification of the application status

February, 2018 — Begin completion of the physical plant with grant funding

August, 2018 — Roanoke Rapids Early College opens

Butler said before the start of the meeting the school system wants an opportunity for its students to earn an associate’s degree or college credit “at no cost to the family.”
He said community input will needed before deciding the curriculum.
“Early college high schools are an innovative way for high school students to earn both a high school degree and associate’s degree or up to two years college transfer credit in the time it takes to go to high school,” the PowerPoint said.
A survey indicated 98.3 percent of parents would be interested in the program while another 89.7 percent would be willing to have their child attend an early college on a separate campus while allowed to be involved in extracurricular activities at RRHS.

Positive impact potentials include:

Financial savings for families

Increased opportunities for post-secondary degrees

Increased enrollment

Competitive offerings with surrounding districts and charter schools

Increased access for adult learning — a twilight satellite campus for HCC

Diversified pathway beyond the traditional high school campus

Helps address capacity concerns at RRHS

Butler said should the early college application be denied, the school can still utilize the space. “We’re still going to pursue grant money. We’ll still have 8,000-square-feet which can be used for technical education.”