County Commissioners To Vote Nov. 17 On $129 Million Proposal To Rebuild Clayton High School

SMITHFIELD — Earlier today (Monday), the Johnston County Board of Commissioners reviewed a $129 million request from the Johnston County Board of Education to rebuild Clayton High School on its current campus, a plan that would keep students in place while construction moves forward.

“The community of Clayton wanted the school to stay on that site,” Board of Education Chairwoman Lyn Andrews said ahead of the meeting. “They wanted to keep it as part of the town.”

The proposal calls for demolishing and rebuilding the high school between Fayetteville and Robertson streets in several phases. The Board of Education endorsed the plan Oct. 28. Construction would begin next month with the removal of the home-side grandstand at the football stadium, which would be rebuilt in time for graduation next spring.

Work on the main building would begin at the same time. Plans include a new auditorium, main and auxiliary gyms, administrative offices, a cafeteria and media center, and a three-story classroom building. The new school is scheduled for completion by Nov. 1, 2027, with students moving in after winter break.

Phase two of the project calls for demolishing the existing gym and creating temporary parking. That work would run from March through July 2028. Later that year, contractors would tear down the remaining old structures to make way for new athletic facilities, including a softball field, tennis courts and a multipurpose field. The school’s football stadium, fieldhouse, baseball field, and soccer and lacrosse field will remain.

The county would fund the project through limited obligation bonds, which do not require voter approval. Johnston County’s AAA bond rating would secure a favorable interest rate.

Commissioners said the project is unusual because the county typically borrows for school construction through voter-approved bonds. An earlier idea to relocate Clayton High students to the new Wilson’s Mill High School during construction was scrapped in favor of keeping the campus in the center of town.

“We didn’t want to get halfway into the project and find out it couldn’t be done,” said Board of Commissioners Chairman Butch Lawter. “That’s one reason Clayton High was pulled from the bond issue voters approved last fall.”

The total cost of the rebuild is estimated at $134 million, which includes demolition of existing buildings. Commissioners have already allocated $5 million for design work.

Andrews said the decision to stay on the current site was driven by both cost and community sentiment. “Any other tract large enough to accommodate a high school would have been expensive and far from the heart of Clayton,” she said. “We just felt like this was the better plan.”

Commissioners are expected to vote on the borrowing at their Nov. 17 meeting. Before then, the financing proposal will be reviewed by the state’s Local Government Commission, which must approve all borrowing by counties and towns in North Carolina.