The last New Hanover County school bond was passed in 2014 and approved $160 million in funding. The county is still paying down $96.7 million of that bond. They’re also paying down $15.8 million from the 2005 bond.
If approved by voters next November, county staff estimated the bond would increase taxes by 1.75 cents per $100 of property value for ten years. Based on current values, a home valued at $581,000 would pay about $102 per year in additional taxes.
The top projects that were whittled down from a larger list from recommended by the New Hanover Schools bond committee are a new building for Trask Middle School ($94.7 million), followed by New Hanover High School Phase I ($59.7 million), replacing Pine Valley Elementary ($56.3 million), building Riverlights Elementary ($53.8 million), various improvements around all district schools in terms of infrastructure (HVAC systems, for example), safety, and technology ($40 million), and an eight-classroom edition at Porters Neck Elementary ($7.6 million). They also have $8 million in funding allocated to manage the projects and other contingencies.
Each project would take two to three years to complete, and it’s unclear which would begin first. If approved in November 2026, the district would start building the following year. The first issuance would be $150 million in spring 2027, followed by $100 million in spring 2029, and then $70.5 million in spring 2023.
This is to align with the district’s debt capacity. Currently, their policy is not to issue debt beyond $2,200 per person. However, County Chief Financial Officer Eric Credle said that in 2034-2036, their capacity will exceed that threshold, reaching a peak of $2,643 per person in 2034, which could require waiving the county’s current policy during that period.
“This isn’t ideal, but it’s not unreasonable,” Credle said.
All county commission and school board members agreed that the bond was necessary and that the ask they were putting to voters was appropriate. They are also considering contracting with a third party to produce bond promotional and advocacy materials, as county or district staff cannot spend public dollars on selling the ballot initiative — though they can work on educational materials related to it. Elected officials can promote the bond in their personal capacity, they just can't speak on behalf of the county or use public money in their advocacy.
The projects are complex, with some being done in phases and some calling for new buildings and the demolition of others.
For the most expensive item, the proposal is to rebuild Trask Middle School for 1,000 students on SEA-Tech’s campus. The former Trask building will be renovated and will become part of Laney High School.
For Pine Valley Elementary, a new school will be built for 650 students. The new school would be built to be preschool-compatible — some of the district’s older buildings don’t meet the NC Pre-K infrastructure standards.
Democratic school board member Tim Merrick said this is needed because there is an over 300-student waitlist to attend the district’s preschools.
The construction of Riverlights Elementary for 650 students will likely mean that Mary C. Williams will be demolished, and those students will attend Riverlights, along with some students from Bellamy Elementary and Anderson Elementary, who could be redistricted to the new school. Republican Bill Rivenbark, chair of the board of commissioners and a former school board member, asked at one point what they would do with Mary C. Williams’ 19 acres of land, implying they could sell it and make money. NHCS superintendent Dr. Christopher Barnes said that’s an option: they could also rent or lease the property or rebuild the school.
Like Pine Valley, the new Riverlights school would be built to be preschool compatible.
Because Porters Neck Elementary is overcapacity, the district wants to add eight additional classrooms on campus. It’s currently unclear where the addition to the existing building would go.
One item of contention was that, while New Hanover High School Phase I will be paid for by the voters if approved, Phase II-IV will remain unfunded for now. The total estimated cost to overhaul the school is $230 million, with approximately $170 million currently unfunded.
Republican school board member David Perry also said that just investing in Phase I doesn’t guarantee that subsequent elected officials will follow through on the funding, and there are unknowns about future building costs.
“We can’t do Phase I and quit. That’s what’s on my heart,” he said.
Barnes added there wasn’t a period after Phase I, but a “comma”
Phase I would include adding a new dining hall, constructing new classrooms, and installing perimeter security infrastructure.
County manager Chris Coudriet said they likely couldn’t issue another school bond for another 10 to 12 years. That concerned Democratic Commissioner Stephanie Walker, who said she hoped The Endowment was listening to the meeting and could join them in supporting funding for the 100-year-old high school in the future.
Republican Commissioner Dane Scalise tried to assuage the group by saying that they were all in agreement that this is important, as there has been deferred maintenance of the school for quite some time, and that while they can’t control future elected officials, they are setting the tone for future leaders to follow through on the plans for New Hanover High.
Merrick also mentioned that the county could potentially allocate additional funds from future budget(s) to fund other phases of the school without going to voters for approval.
Credle presented data from counties across the state showing that school bonds typically pass by wide margins in voter referendums. He also said he was “confident it would be approved” by the LGC. Republican school board member Pat Bradford, who headed the bond committee, said the Wilmington Chamber of Commerce conducted a preliminary survey of the bond, and about 70% of respondents supported it.
Rivenbark, though, said it might be a “trick to pass [it].”
Click here for the county’s detailed analysis of the bond.
Click here for the details about the NHCS bond projects.
