New grant reallocates project costs for Burke County schools

A $2.5 million grant is giving an HVAC system at Freedom High School a long-overdue facelift, freeing up and redirecting hundreds of thousands in district funds to other projects.

Dr. Bob Acord, director of auxiliary services, said, “This is a grant for the heating and air system in the main gym and auxiliary gym at Freedom High School. It is a major overhaul of a system that is more than 30 years old. This is a much-needed upgrade.”

Starting this summer and planning to finish by the start of school in August, school officials said the updated system should increase student and staff comfort and reduce any safety concerns around the age of the system.

Finance officer Keith Lawson explained that the district can reallocate more than 27 projects, totaling approximately $287,000, from renovation and restoration funds to state lottery dollars.

The moves will leave nearly $1.59 million in lottery capital for the remainder of the 2025-2026 school year.

The county receives approximately $1 million annually in lottery funds and can roll the money over into the following year.

Lawson said, “We have been saving R&R money over the past few years in an interest-bearing account for this very project, and basically now get to reimburse that fund with the grant money.”

The board approved the reallocations unanimously.

OTHER BUDGET APPROVALS

Among the approvals Lawson requested at the previous board meeting, on March 23, one line item for over $870,000 in central office construction fees stuck out to board member Sonya Rockett.

When she prompted Lawson to elaborate on where the number came from, he explained, “The architectural design fee is a part of the construction contract of our previous projects. It was paid outside of, and in addition to, the awarded construction contract.”

The request means the county will fund the $870,000 separately. Although the district already incurred approximately $400,000 of that total, the remaining $470,000 would allow room for future expenses.

At the meeting on March 30, Rockett told the rest of the board she had meticulously reviewed the revisions with Lawson, and they had reached a compromise.

“I have been assured by our administration that not a penny of this money, of this $870,000, will be spent just because we approve it,” Rockett said, breaking down areas where the finance office had padded the numbers as a safety net. “If we do not need it, we will … allocate it back into our coffers.”

Rockett reiterated that after looking at the needs and numbers for central office budgets, she will not approve any extra funds going forward due to the wiggle room left in the projected revision.

Although part of the funds are geared toward the inclusion of a training space, she clarified that it was not guaranteed. She requested district leaders propose any funding for the training space to the board for approval.

Although the board approved all other budget revisions unanimously, board member Reid Beck voted against the $870,000 request.

The school district is renovating the former Burke United Christian Ministries headquarters at 305 W. Union St. School officials previously reported the central office relocation could occur as early as the beginning of the 2026-27 school year.