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Special Called Joint Meeting Randolph County Board of Commissioners & Asheboro City Board
of Education—December 21, 2004
The Randolph County Board of Commissioners met in a special called joint meeting with the
Asheboro City Board of Education on Tuesday, December 21, 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 Deborah Martin, Joyce Harrington, Chris
Yow, Derek Robbins, Steve Jones, Linda Cranford, Lynn Jones, and Pam Hill.
Chairman Harold Holmes called the meeting to order for the County.
Chairman Steve Jones called the meeting to order for the Board of Education.
Chairman Jones said that the Board of Education asked for this meeting to get clarification on
and to discuss recent comments about the proposed schools capital projects, funding source and the
timing of these projects. He said that they had heard that the County Commissioners might reconsider
their previous decision to hold a bond referendum and instead use certificates of participation (COPS).
Also, they had heard that the County Commissioners may reconsider the timing of the projects
delaying the City Schools' and RCC's projects in order to reserve some of the County's borrowing
power in anticipation of a statewide public school bond issue now being considered at the state level.
These state funds may be available by 2007-2008.
Dr. Diane Frost, Asheboro City Schools Superintendent, said that a lot of time and effort had
been spent in their capital needs study and they felt very confident in the results, which identified their
critical needs. They are concerned that if the City Schools' projects (additions at Teachey School and
North Asheboro Middle School and continued renovation at Asheboro High School) are delayed for
several years, the overcrowdedness will become extremely critical and the delay would cause
additional construction costs.
Dr. Frost and Harold Blair, City Schools' Finance Officer, also inquired about the local match
required, should state school bond funds become a reality. Dr. Frost and Mr. Blair expressed concern
that if their projects are delayed (and unfunded), this could cause the City School System to be
ineligible for any of the state funding based on how local match was calculated during the last school
bond funds issue. However, there is no way to predict, at this point, what the state will require in
regard to local match.
City School Board members said that they would fully support the County Commissioners'
reconsideration of a COPS deal instead of a bond referendum; however, several members stated that
they believe a bond referendum would pass in the city, but they don't know about how it would fair in
the county.
Chairman Jones urged the Commissioners to proceed with all school projects as planned, which
includes the city and county projects as well as RCC's projects.
Chairman Holmes said that the Commissioners would consider these issues at their January
meeting.
There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 4:50 p.m.
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J. Harold Holmes, Chairman Darrell L. Frye
Robert B. Davis
Arnold Lanier
Phil Kemp
Cheryl Ivey, Deputy Clerk to the Board