Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools postpones three bond projects due to increased costs

With an increase in construction costs, the Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Board of Education voted to postpone three 2016 school bond projects Tuesday night.

The 2016 bond was for $350 million. Nick Seeba, the district’s director of construction and facilities, said that in 2016, the budgeted cost per square foot was $175. Today, he said that cost is $350.

As a result, the district projected a $63.5 million shortfall to continue with the eight remaining school bond projects as planned. 

Following the district’s recommendation, the school board put the construction of a new middle school near Smith Farm Elementary, and expansions to Griffith and Ward Elementary on hold. 

Seeba said those three projects were less pressing than the other five, due to a decline in school membership. 

“We will reevaluate at a later date to see if they are becoming viable projects again based off of attendance,” he said at the board meeting on Sept. 27. 

In the meantime, he said district staff will bring forward recommendations to reallocate the funding from those three projects to the remaining projects in the bond program.

Those projects include design plans for Ashley Elementary School, replacement of Brunson Elementary School, renovation of East Forsyth High School, and land procurement for an elementary school in eastern Forsyth County. 

The Board of Education also voted to continue with obtaining construction pricing for the current design of extensive renovations at Philo-Hill Magnet Middle School. 

There were several public speakers who advocated for the projects at Philo-Hill, citing the need for repairs.

“The building that the students and staff must endure every day is difficult. It's easy to see how many Band-Aids the district has put over the years,” said Vikki Heaney, the media coordinator at Philo-Hill. “The crumbling walls, the lights that flicker, the covers for the lights that just randomly fall off everywhere, including the library, which is supposed to be a safe place for all students and staff.”

Seeba said the district has already spent $900,000 on creating the current design for Philo-Hill Magnet Middle School. 

After hearing from public speakers about the needs at the school, Seeba said it was important for the district to move forward with that project.

“We don't want to keep waiting. We've waited a long time. We need to move on in my perspective,” he said.

Amy Diaz covers education for WFDD in partnership with Report For America. You can follow her on Twitter at @amydiaze.