SMITHFIELD – The Johnston County Board of Education and the Johnston County Board of Commissioners have announced a collaborative effort aimed at enhancing educational opportunities for students across Johnston County. This partnership underscores a shared commitment to fostering academic excellence and lifelong learning within the community.
According to post-pandemic Census data and Land Use Study data provided by NCSU Operations Research and Education Lab (OREd), Johnston County is one of two counties having the highest growth rate in the state over the past three years, with a population increase of 18,779 residents from 2020-2022. With population growth comes the demand for an increase in public service demand, particularly education.
During the June 3, 2024, meeting, the Johnston County Board of Commissioners (BOC) approved a $120,000,000 General Obligation (GO) bond. During the June 18, 2024 Special Budget Session, the Johnston County Board of Education (BOE) approved a resolution for the GO bond.
GO bonds are the primary funding source for major projects such as the building of new schools and buildings, and other costly renovation projects of existing facilities. The approval of the bond will provide the much-needed funding for major school projects, including:
- Renovate Corinth Holders Elementary School and construct a classroom addition
- Construct a classroom addition to Thanksgiving Elementary School
- Renovate Wilson’s Mills Elementary School and construct a classroom addition
- Renovate McGee’s Crossroads Elementary School and construct a classroom addition
- Renovate South Smithfield Elementary and demolish and reconstruct the primary wing
- Renovate and replace the HVAC systems at Four Oaks Elementary and Cleveland Elementary Schools
- Replace six obsolete fire alarm systems at Cooper Academy, Wilson’s Mills Elementary, Pine Level Elementary, East Clayton Elementary, West Clayton Elementary, and Polenta Elementary Schools
- Construct a pressbox for the baseball and softball fields at North Johnston High School and resurface the track and tennis courts
- Renovate and construct a metal roof overbuild on East Clayton Elementary School
- Provide HVAC improvements to various schools by upgrading the building’s automated control system and/or replacing chillers containing obsolete R-22 freon
During the June 17, 2024, BOC meeting, the BOC recently approved the following budget items: Current Expense funding in the amount of $104,000,000; a total of $3,500,000 for Capital Funding; and $11,300,000 in Construction Costs funds.
The $11,300,000 will fund the construction of a 24-classroom addition to Cleveland High School, providing safe and secure learning environments for students and staff, and replacing 21 mobile classrooms. The BOE voted to approve the capital contract for the $11,300,000 Cleveland High School project and expects the project to be completed in the Summer of 2025 and open for occupancy during the 2025 Fall semester.
The funding of education, particularly for a growing county such as Johnston, requires synergetic collaboration between taxpayers, governing bodies, and school entities, and often includes multiple funding sources. In the past few weeks, the BOC has approved approximately $119,000,000 for expenditures for the 2024-2025 school year. In November the taxpayers of Johnston County will have the opportunity to vote in approval of the $120,000,000 GO bond, which at that point, the BOC will have provided approximately $240,000,000 to Johnston County Public Schools.
“The Board of Education looks forward to moving forward with making improvements to our schools as well as to continuing to provide a safe place for learning and the best possible educational experience for our students,” stated BOE Chair Lyn Andrews. Together, the BOE and BOC are building a brighter future through education.
Future generations huh, you mean future illegals. Guess who foots that bill…..
There goes the tax revenue increase. More people, more schools. More people, more crime. More people, more fire department. More people , more police. More people, more water need. More people, more electric need. More people, more road need. More people, more sewer need. More people, MORE PROBLEMS. Growth is not always good. Commissioners are dopes.
More people, more tax revenue. It seems like you’d be happier in a place that nobody else wants to live.
People want to live here because Wake County is overpopulated and too expensive. As Arthur describes, more people require more resources, so the additional tax dollars are moot. We want small, safe communities where people know each other and require less government to run effectively. The Commissioners know this, but aren’t enforcing this attitude that WE THE PEOPLE want. That’s Arthur’s point, of which I share.
Well, that place used to be Clayton. But now it’s, little Garner bordering on Fayetteville.
More people more crime, traffic, housing, more water need, more sewer need, more school need, more healthcare need, more road need, more electric need, more ems need, more everything need. So much for that “tax revenue”.