Commissioners met with requests from district
Robert Moody
Robbinsville – A funding deficit on free lunches, the need to replace two activity buses and updates about plans to build a new elementary school were all presented in the early portion of Tuesday’s Graham County Board of Commissioners meeting.
New superintendent Robert Moody and assistant superintendent/facilities supervisor David Matheson combined efforts to address the board, with each item carrying a funding request from the county.
Moody explained that the free lunch program for students has crept into an $180,000 deficit since being implemented. He cited inflation as the culprit.
“I want to be a good steward of the school’s money, because it is very limited,” Moody said. “It’s a blessing that every child in our schools gets to eat free, but it’s not free: it’s an underfunded mandate. We do not get enough reimbursement money to pay for it.”
Moody’s suggestion was to examine available sales-tax revenues. School districts receive a portion of the income; currently, the county is using the revenue to pay back costs associated with the construction of the new Robbinsville
Middle School addition that opened in January 2023, as well as Big Oaks Stadium seating improvements.
Matheson stepped up to the podium next and mapped out the dire situation regarding the district’s activity buses, which transport students on both athletic and field trips. He revealed that the last activity bus purchased by Graham County Schools was for $95,000, but a recent quote saw the price jump significantly – to $145,923.
In his talks with Greensboro-based Carolina Thomas, Matheson said the quote was for an individual, 72-passenger bus. The fleet was ordered by another school system in North Carolina – but were never picked up. With the rigs sitting on a lot only four hours away, Graham County could have possession of two buses from Carolina Thomas in 8-10 days, rather than waiting until September 2025 in another scenario.
“We can’t get parts,” Matheson said while talking about one activity bus. “As it breaks down, we have to call other counties and get parts off buses that have been retired. That’s not a good plan when we’re sending kids to Greensboro, Raleigh, Charlotte or Atlanta.
“These buses are vital, because they give our students an opportunity to go out and see what is available outside Graham County – in terms of their education.”
Discussion from school officials ended with Matheson laying out a case for a new elementary building. Talked about for years, Matheson noted the security risks of the current facility off Moose Branch Road – including a Tuesday-afternoon lockdown that occurred after students had left, but faculty were still in the building while sheriff’s deputies searched for a man purported to be carrying a shotgun through downtown Robbinsville.
Even if Tuesday’s lockdown had not taken place, the building itself touts portions that were built almost 70 years ago; and is undersized for current student needs. Matheson said he was in discussion with property owners of land adjacent to the Loudon Orr Memorial Sports Complex at Robbinsville High School, which had quoted $40,000 an acre for seven acres. Graham County Schools already owns a portion of the sprawling pasture from when the sports complex was built in the 2010s; Matheson added that the current idea is to build a two-story facility.
The application for a Needs-Based Public School Capital Fund Grant is due Sept. 13; having land to place the school on could make or break the case for Robbinsville Elementary shifting to an all-inclusive campus off Sweetwater Road/Rodney Orr Bypass.
The grant comes from the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction; maxes out at $42 million; and requires no match from Graham County.
“The elementary school is becoming a bottomless money pit,” Matheson observed. “It’s just going to continue to get worse. We need a building that’s big enough to handle the needs of our students.
“If we can get it (the grant), we can build an elementary school. It’s a win-win for Graham County Schools and the Graham County Board of Commissioners.”
Next week: Chairman provides updates on justice center. Plus, a funding request comes in from Valley River Humane Society.