NHCS Superintendent Dr. Chris Barnes said he and his senior were out at the polls on Tuesday handing out information on the school bond.
“This was a bipartisan community effort, and we are so grateful that the community and the voters trust the district is in the right place,” he said.
Barnes added that in spring 2027, the new board, along with the New Hanover County commission, will decide which major construction projects will begin first, with a maximum of two beginning at once. They’ll also be working to hire people to complete the work — and establish their processes for it. The district will receive the funds in three installments over seven years, with the first coming in late spring.
Top funds are slated for building a new Trask Middle School ($94.7 million), followed by Phase I of New Hanover High School ($59.7 million).
Other projects will include a new Riverlights Elementary ($53.8 million), a replacement building for Pine Valley Elementary ($56.3 million), a new building addition at Porters Neck Elementary ($7.6 million), and HVAC improvements and equipment replacement ($40 million). The rest of the funds go towards program management and contingency costs.
As for those equipment and HVAC projects, Barnes said, “Some things you can do faster than others, like we already have the product processes and stuff built for the security vestibules, so those could go a little faster. Some of the larger HVAC projects will have to get done over the summer [of 2027].”
At the October 27 agenda review meeting, Barnes said that most bond projects will remain the same; however, the order of the HVAC projects might move up or down the list, depending on need.
“To be very frank, some of the issues that we experienced this summer are indicative of what we experienced with HVAC. So there's a chance that we may have something on a list that is 10th, 11th, or 12th on the list that we presented months ago, but now it has to be bumped up, and that's just the nature of that business,” he said.
More recently, major HVAC issues have affected Hoggard High, Laney High, Noble Middle, and Sunset Park Elementary.
The Endowment gave $116 million toward bringing the overall tax rate down for residents.
“The agreement with The Endowment has a cap on the property tax, which keeps it about $20 per homeowner per year. So, but when you do look at it, I'm hoping people will view it like their Apple agreement and just click ‘I agree,’ so they can get back to playing Candy Crush,” Barnes said in October.
With The Endowment's contribution, the additional tax to repay the bond is a half-cent per $100,000; the median home cost of around $445,000 would mean $22.25 in extra tax payments per year.
In preparation for advocating for the school bond to the community, alongside a New Hanover County Chamber of Commerce presentation, Barnes said a UNCW researcher calculated it will put millions into the local economy.
“This bond will bring $500 million dollars of revenue into the county. Our jobs for people, equipment, building projects, things like that stimulate the economy in our area as well,” he said.
NHCS Communications Director Anita Baggie wrote that UNCW professor Dr. Mouhcine Guettabi, who did the analysis of the bond, said, “$320.5 million in [the school] bond investment is projected to generate $498.9 million in total economic activity in New Hanover County. Every dollar spent locally through the bond projects is expected to generate approximately $1.56 in total economic activity within the county.”
The superintendent said he’s committed to “remaining transparent and accountable, so that the public knows where the money is going and what it's being done.”
55% of voters in Brunswick County also approved a $349.6 million school bond for facilities to help deal with growth and over-capacity buildings.
Follow bond project progress here
