Union County asks for $134.4 million to build new schools. Here’s where they’re planned.
Forest Hills High School, tucked between the Union County towns of Marshville and Wingate, is a throwback.
Its classrooms are small, built when students sat in straight rows all day. Its most prominent feature is a smokestack that heated the school decades ago.
“Forest Hills was built in 1960 and had no air conditioning, worked off of a now-abandoned fuel oil boiler, of course had no internet technology and lacked many modern electrical features,” said Kevin Plue, who is in his 12th year as principal.
While the school added new features such as air conditioning and internet infrastructure, it created “a sort of Frankenstein feel” because additions weren’t in the original design and were added at different times, Plue said.
Forest Hills High, which has the lowest high school enrollment in Union County Public Schools, also is among the oldest. The district, like others in North Carolina with hundreds of millions of dollars in facility needs, is turning to voters to help modernize aging buildings.
UCPS is asking voters Nov. 8 to approve $134.4 million in school bonds to replace Forest Hills High and East Elementary School in Monroe — a building that is 70 years old.
“New buildings are definitely needed, so out of necessity voters should approve because we can’t keep kicking the can down the road,” Richard Daunt, a parent of two UCPS students, said. “The schools on the bond are also in a historically ignored part of the county.”
If voters approve the $134.4 million bond, future property tax rates could increase, according to the Union County Board of County Commissioners. Beginning in fiscal year 2024, the estimated maximum debt payment for the bond is $13.62 million per year or the equivalent of 1.73 cents in new property taxes.
That means people could pay an extra $17.30 for every $100,000 in property value.
Students under one roof
Forest Hills, which enrolled 879 students last year, has no modern classrooms and flexible space. Bathrooms do not have enough room to effectively get all students through during class changes. The cafeteria doesn’t have room to seat all students at one time, Plue said.
The high school is a set of four buildings and five mobile classrooms.
“This requires students to go outside many times during the day to maneuver the campus,” Plue said. “This is a safety concern. Putting all staff and students in one building under one roof strengthens our ability to keep everyone safe.”
A new two-story building on the same property will cost about $95.8 million. The proposed project would include a new auditorium, expanded dining room area, updated teacher workrooms, a modern media center, multi-purpose auxiliary gym, new weight room and new arts and band spaces.
The new high school would open during the 2025-26 school year. Students would remain in the current building while the new school is being built elsewhere on the property.
“This is only the first step in what is a larger plan to replace many aging structures in the district,” Plue said. “If the plan to replace Forest Hills is not realized, it not only delays this much needed project, but also the need to replace those other structures.”
More parking at East
East Elementary, like Forest Hills High, is in dire need of replacement, officials say.
The elementary school in the center of the county, in Monroe, houses roughly 400 students and has HVAC equipment that is not in good working condition. Plumbing issues such as toilets getting easily plugged or giving off a sulfur smell and sinks with low water pressure are often a concern, Principal Michelle Goode told The Charlotte Observer. Tiles and flooring are uneven in areas, and kitchen equipment often requires maintenance.
“The new building would provide adequate space for our entire student body, including parents and visitors to attend functions, including performances, evening events, and presentations,” said Goode, who is in her second year as principal. “Parking at East is at a premium — the new building would allow for safe and easy access to the main entrance, rather than having to park on side streets or adjacent to the school.”
A new, two-story East Elementary building will cost about $38.6 million and be energy-efficient. It will provide space to house pre-K classes — right now the building can only accommodate one pre-K classroom — and feature a flexible multi-purpose gym, expanded dining space and collaboration areas.
“Additionally, our Health Sciences Academy program is not capable of providing students with the space needed to explore the content and labs,” Goode said. “The new building will feature a large room for HSA, equipped with lab tables, sinks, and areas to showcase equipment and materials needed to support instruction.”
The new school is slated to open during the 2025-26 school year, and students will remain in the current buildings while the new school is being built on the same property.
“Students at East deserve a 21st century, well-equipped, state-of-the art school where they can learn and that they can be proud of,” Goode said.
Support from Union County voters
UCPS is the sixth-largest school district in North Carolina and serves more than 40,000 students.
It also has a history of voters supporting bond referendums.
Since the late 1990s, the county’s voters have voted seven times to approve bond referendums totaling $501.7 million, helping build 23 new schools, adding classrooms and renovating existing buildings.
In 2016, Union County voters approved $54 million more for a new transportation facility, classroom additions and safety repairs.
Still, Daunt is pessimistic about the bond up for vote Nov. 8.
“It’s poor long-term planning at the county level that led to the need for a bond,” Daunt said. “The bond is also being put to a county-wide vote, even though most of the county won’t benefit.”
Throughout North Carolina, fully addressing school facility needs in public school districts is an expensive task. Gov. Roy Cooper in his 2019 State of the State address said four in 10 N.C. public schools are at least 50 years old.
The State Department of Public Instruction estimates the total facility needs over a five-year period is nearly $12.8 billion, according to the 2020 Facility Needs Survey. It’s an increase from the 2015-16 survey that identified $8 billion in needs.
Union County falls in the top 10 in the state, with identified needs above $400 million. Mecklenburg County is No. 1 with $1.2 billion in needed school construction costs. Guilford, Wake and Gaston counties follow.
“The 2022 bond will address aging facilities and align innovative, academic programming with a more modern learning environment,” UCPS Superintendent Andrew Houlihan said. “The success of this bond referendum will position UCPS to recommend further bond-funded projects in the future.”
Learn more
UCPS will continue to host a series of community meetings through October. The dates are Wednesday at Porter Ridge High; Sept. 27 at East Elementary; Oct. 11 at East Elementary; Oct. 13 at Weddington High and Oct. 20 at Forest Hills High.
For more information about what’s included in the bond referendum, go to ucps.k12.nc.us/bond2022. Visit unioncountyncelections.gov for information about voting in Union County.
This story was originally published September 19, 2022 at 6:00 AM.
