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Special Called Joint Meeting Randolph County Board of Commissioners & Randolph County
Board of Education—December 9, 2004
The Randolph County Board of Commissioners met in a special called joint meeting with the
Randolph County Board of Education on Thursday, December 9, 2004 at 4 p.m. in the Commissioners
Meeting Room, 725 McDowell Road, Asheboro, NC. Commissioners Holmes, Frye, Davis, Kemp and
Lanier were present. School Board members present were Paul Guthrie, Janet Johnson, Tommy
McDonald, Laverne Williams, Becky Coltrane, Gary Cook, Grady Lawson, and outgoing Board
member Barry Scott.
Chairman Harold Holmes called the meeting to order for the County.
Chairman Laverne Williams called the meeting to order for the Board of Education.
Chairman Holmes said that the Commissioners wanted to make sure that the County School
Board is comfortable with their identified capital project needs and how they've been prioritized.
Discussion began about possible alternatives such as night school, the construction of a 91h
grade school at Eastern Randolph High School and converting Randleman Middle School for
Randleman High School's use and building another Randleman Middle school. The School Board
assured the Commissioners that these issues had been considered and dismissed for various feasibility
reasons.
There was considerable discussion about the immediate need to relieve the serious
overcrowded conditions at Trinity High School. With the County School Board's current capital
projects priority scheme, a favorable bond referendum vote next May would not do anything to
alleviate Trinity High School's problems. Also, the current Archdale/Trinity Supplemental School Tax
District makes it impossible to redraw school district lines in the Trinity area to include some of the
Randleman High School students.
Although both boards agreed that there is a great need for relief at our county schools, the
problem is how to pay for it. The County's borrowing capacity is limited; the County can borrow only
about $44 million dollars for school capital project purposes in the 2005 calendar year, with the earliest
possible sale date for the Certificates of Participation (COPS) being January 2006. There was also
discussion about whether to just proceed with a COPS deal immediately rather than waiting for the
outcome of the May 2005 bond referendum.
County Manager Frank Willis said that if the bond referendum fails in May 2005, the County
could still do a COPS deal, but the Local Government Commission likely would not approve a deal
consisting of the same projects and funds that failed in the referendum; the projects and dollar amounts
involved would need to be considerably less. Also, a sufficient amount of time would need to pass
between the failed referendum and the application for a COPS deal—at least 6 months.
Commissioner Frye mentioned the possibility that the Asheboro City Schools and Randolph
Community College capital requests, which are a part of the proposed bond referendum slated for May
2005, could be put on hold until more money is available, possibly through a statewide public school
bond issue now being considered at the state level. These state funds may be available by 2007-2008.
He said if these projects are put on hold, it might be possible to do a COPS deal to fund construction of
the Northeast High School ($27 million) and a second high school in Trinity ($21 million). With the
estimated cost of these projects totaling $48 million ($4 million more than the maximum of the
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County's borrowing capacity of $44 million for schools next year) some concessions would have to be
made like not building all new athletics facilities at the new schools; some sharing of these facilities
would have to be done temporarily. Another possibility might be to proceed only with the construction
of the Northeast High School and wait to see if these state funds come through since it will be close to
2 years before construction of a Trinity high school could begin (land would have to be found and
negotiated, architects would have to be hired and plans developed, etc.).
Superintendent Dr. Bob McRae asked that the Commissioners make a decision as soon as
possible.
On motion of Kemp, seconded by Davis, the Board voted unanimously to adjourn at 6: 00 p. m.
J. Harold Holmes, Chairman Darrell L. Frye
Robert B. Davis
Arnold Lanier
Phil Kemp
Cheryl Ivey, Deputy Clerk to the Board