WS/FC school board approves $1.3 million for R. J. Reynolds High School stadium project

The Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Board of Education approved spending an additional $1.3 million on the controversial R. J. Reynolds High School stadium project on Tuesday.

The growing budget raised concerns for some members of the board and the community. 

The stadium project for Reynolds and Wiley Middle School has been in the works for years and is largely funded by the local nonprofit organization Home Field Advantage. The purpose of the project is to give athletes at these schools a place to play and practice on-site, instead of having to travel off campus. 

But since 2021, the district’s contributions have grown from $895,000 to $2.1 million. And on Tuesday, the district requested an additional $1.3 million to finish the job that board members thought they’d already paid for.

WS/FCS Director of Construction and Facilities Nick Seeba said that’s partly because of an unforeseen issue with the stormwater sewer system. 

“You can plan to the best of your ability based off of what you're able to explore and know about before you get started, but once you start digging in, you find surprises," Seeba said. "This was a surprise.”

Part of the funding request is to cover the design and repairs needed for the stormwater system. But there are also line items for things like field lighting, scoreboards, and goal posts. Board members said they were told those things would be covered in the previous funding request, but the amount they approved ended up not being enough. 

The ask for more money raised concerns for some board members and public speakers who pointed out all of the other needs in the district. 

“That's disappointing that you guys would sit up here and approve money to build a stadium," said local NAACP Chapter President Al Jabbar. "And trust me, I don't have a problem with building a stadium. What happens to Parkland? What happens to the other schools in our city that don't have a field in their backyard? That's unfair.”

The board voted 5-3 to approve the requested funds for the project. Alex Bohannon, Sabrina Coone, and Trevonia Brown-Gaither were the three members who voted against it. 

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