After months of planning and debate, and a few last-minute suggestions, the school board agreed on five main project, plus district-wide improvements, to include in the bond. The projects were identified by the district’s Capital, Bond, and Finance Committee, chaired by Republican Pat Bradford.
The projects include (costs approximate):
- Trask Middle School, replacement — $95 million
- New Hanover High School, hybrid renovation Phase I — $60 million
- Pince Valley Elementary, replacement — $56.3 million
- Riverlights elementary (and demolition of Mary C. Williams) — $54 million
- Porters Neck Elementary, addition — $7.6 million
- Improvements, including technology, security, infrastructure, and HVAC — $40 million
The recommended bond represents roughly half of the overall capital needs of the district — and only covers the first of four phases of renovating and adding on to New Hanover High School. But, it’s just about the limit for the county’s current debt capacity (it likely actually exceeds the current capacity, but because it will be paid down, it's allowable).
Republican Board member David Perry was the sole vote against the bond recommendation — during the meeting, he put forward two different suggested changes: one would have paused the vote for two weeks to look at potential land for a new facility to replace New Hanover High, the other would have separated the total renovation cost of NHHS into a separate bond.
Perry’s colleagues respectfully declined those suggestions. Staff told Perry that two weeks was likely not enough time to research the viability of a site he'd suggested for a new construction replacement for NHHS. As for proposing two separate bonds, Republican board chair Melissa Mason noted that "the difficulty is, if you are doing a bond that is specific to one school, the investment from the community is not going to be as broad. It needs to have a far-reaching benefit. So while I understand what my colleague is saying, I have to disagree.
Next up, county commissioners will need to sign off on the bond before state officials at the Local Government Commission approve putting it on the ballot in the 2026 general election next November.
Legal contracts updated
The board voted to continue with their current firm, Crossley McIntosh Collier Hanley & Edes, P.L.L.C., whose contract is up in December. Board members voted unanimously to extend their contract through June 30, 2026 (to align the legal services contract with the fiscal year).
Because the district is shifting from month to month, they voted to put out a request for proposals for exceptional children ("EC") services. The district will continue month to month with their current representation, Sink Law Firm, while that process is underway.
Public apology
It’s no secret that the school board has been prone to infighting, public disagreements, and occasional clashes with members of the public, in person and online. Speaking in her personal capacity, Mason acknowledged that she’d failed to uphold decorum.
“Over the past year, I've made every effort to hold this board to a higher standard, to focus on common goals, to engage in respectful debate, and to prioritize our students above all else. Despite those efforts, recent events make it clear that those standards have not been upheld, and that is a failure I take seriously, and for that, I apologize," Mason said.
Mason also acknowledged her own mistakes, and called on her colleagues to do the same. She then offered another apology to the public.
“I've owned. My mistakes without excuse or deflection. It is time others do the same. It is deeply troubling that board members have chosen to excuse, justify, justify or ignore their own inappropriate conduct. This community deserves better. Our students deserve better. Our staff deserves better. To any member of the public who has been disrespected or mistreated by a board member, I offer a clear and unqualified apology," Mason said.
In an email to WHQR, Mason declined to identify specific offenses. But she confirmed she was speaking about board members on both sides of the aisle.