County green lights $4 million for new Hobbton High

The approval of a resolution which would provide over $4 million in county funds for a new Hobbton High School was once again approved by the Sampson County Board of Commissioners at special Monday morning meeting.

That money would be used if a North Carolina Department of Public Instruction Needs-Based Public School Capital Fund grant is funded.

County schools superintendent Dr. Jamie King told the commissioners that the system was applying, once again, for the grant, which had been turned down earlier this year. The latest grant application, which uses revenue from the North Carolina Education Lottery, has to be submitted in September.

If approved, the grant would provide $62 million of the $67,410,811 needed for the construction and completion of a new Hobbton High School.

Commissioners, as they did earlier this year, agreed to provide $4,228,314 in county funds. Along with that, the Sampson County Board of Education will use $1,182,487 in sales tax refunds that will also be allocated to the project.

If the grant isn’t approved, funds the commissioners committed to Monday would be rescinded.

King was present to answer any questions the board might have and to better explain the current situation, and remarked that no site “was set in stone” for construction of the new school He did mention, however, that the land across U.S. 701 from the current school was being considered for use.

The demolition of the current Hobbton High School, which was built in 1957, is included in the budget.

Commissioners Chairman Jerol Kivett had a few concerns that the price would stay within budget. King said he knew of some previous school builds that had come in slightly under budget, but great care would be taken to stay in, or below, budget.

“There are no additional county funds available beyond what was agreed upon,” the resolution stated.

The commissioners encouraged the Sampson Board of Education to carefully monitor the construction of the high school, if the application is approved.

Other stipulations noted in the resolution approved Monday stated any and all bidding, procurement, architectural, engineering, and construction contracts will be carried out in strict accordance with North Carolina law.

Soil for the proposed site will be tested before any construction begins, although a definitive site for the location has not been purchased nor approved as of the time of the commissioners’ meeting on Aug. 19.

In mid-December 2023, county commissioners approved the same appropriation of roughly $4.2 million, a local match that hinged on the award of the $62 million from the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction’s Needs-Based Public School Capital Fund grant. That grant application was subsequently submitted by Sampson County Schools, with school leaders lauding the decision by county officials as “the first of many steps to eventually get to the finish line of a new Hobbton High School.”

A state grant application that would pay the bulk of the cost for a new school, an effort that received a groundswell of support from the Hobbton district and county leaders, before ultimately also the backing of Sampson County Board of Commissioners, was not approved despite the application being “really strong,” school leaders said.

During a March Sampson County Board of Education meeting, King broke the news.

“We found out that Hobbton High School was not selected as one of the grant candidates from the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction,” King said. “I’ve met with Catherine Truitt, the state superintendent and was able to get from her some really hard data about where our application landed, what were some negatives on it, and what were positives on it. I’ll say that, in speaking with her, our application was really, really strong.”

King said Monday he felt the re-submitted application would be a strong contender.

The existing 1957 Hobbton High is outdated, its infrastructure deteriorated, its classrooms crowded, and poorly lit, dark hallways and inadequate facilities hinder effective learning and limit extracurricular and academic opportunities, Hobbton faculty, students, parents and supporters said.