By Rebecca Rider
rebecca.rider@salisburypost.com

SALISBURY — On Nov. 27, a Capital Needs Committee recommended the Rowan-Salisbury Board of Education look into school closures, consolidation and redistricting to help solve $208 million worth of capital needs.

The presentation made many in the community curious about what, and who, the Capital Needs Committee was.

Formed in February 2017, the committee was made up of local elected officials, community leaders, school employees and business people. Each board member was asked to invite two or three people from their representative area. Two board members — Dean Hunter and Travis Allen — were also committee members.

Approximately 44 Rowan County residents were invited to join the committee, including at least one elected official for each of the county’s 10 municipalities. However, records obtained by the Post show that only 26 of those attended the first meeting on Feb. 28.

That number included Allen and Hunter, as well as Superintendent Dr. Lynn Moody and Assistant Superintendent Anthony Vann.

By the committee’s second meeting on March 21, the number dropped further, to just 15 — and stayed there. Over the next several months, the group met approximately once a month, but attendance didn’t noticeably increase.

Meeting dates include: Feb. 28, March 21, May 2, May 30, Aug. 7, Sept. 12, Oct. 10, Oct. 26 and Nov. 13.

Despite higher level school officials and board of education members attending the meetings, committee members said in an earlier interview that they were mostly left to their own devices. While employees and school board members were there to answer questions or provide guidance, it was the community members who controlled the thrust of the committee.

They were given a simple question: What would you do to solve more than $200 million in capital needs if you only received $2 million a year to address it?

Meeting minutes obtained by the Post support that the committee began not with discussion of closures and consolidation, but with information. Right off the bat, the group began looking at the capital needs list, building ages, conditions and costs.

They also looked at what other districts were doing in similar situations, the school budget, individual school utility bills and operating costs, population projections and property tax rates.

According to Vann, information came from a long-range facilities study done by SfL+A architects in 2015-2016, the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction, presenters such as County Manager Aaron Church and other official sources.

According to minutes, the group began discussing possible solutions as early as March 21, all the way through November, when they began preparing for a final presentation to the board.

Suggestions included seeking additional funding — such as a school bond — redistricting and switching grade-level progression to make sixth-grade an elementary grade and ninth grade a middle grade.

By August, the group began to turn its eyes towards closure and consolidation — but still kept other avenues open. The minutes underlined the importance of presenting several options to the school board.

The committee made its first presentation to the board on Sept. 25 and discussed several options. It returned on Nov. 27 with the specific suggestions — consideration of 11 schools for consolidation or closure, and redistricting.

Those invited to join the committee include: Aaron Church, county manager; Andrew Smith, Rowan-Salisbury Schools chief strategist; Angie Miller; Anthony Vann, assistant superintendent of operations; Barbara Mallett, mayor of East Spencer; Bill Feather, mayor of Granite Quarry; Brian Brady; Carl Martin; Carol Everhart, teacher; Carol Herndon, former executive director of Food for Thought and Rowan-Salisbury Schools chief financial officer; Charles Moody Jr., mayor of Faith; Chris Boardman; Christopher Nuckolls, director of construction for Rowan-Salisbury Schools; Danny Gabriel, mayor of Cleveland; Darrell Hinnant, mayor of Kannapolis; Dean Hunter, Board of Education member; Don Coggins, head of district-wide PTA; Elaine Spalding, chair of the Salisbury Chamber of Commerce; Ellen Howard; Eric Nianouris, maintenance director for Rowan-Salisbury Schools; Gary Blabon, director of operations for Novant Health Rowan; Jason Walser, the Blanche and Julian Robertson Foundation; Jennifer Barbee, employee at Horizons Unlimited; Jim Greene, county commissioner; Karen Alexander, mayor of Salisbury; Kay Wright Norman, former school board member; Kelly Sparger, former East Rowan High School principal; Kevin Jones, Spencer alderman; Lee Withers, mayor of China Grove; Leslie Heidrick, county finance director; Lynn Moody, superintendent of Rowan-Salisbury Schools; Mark Soeth; Meredith Honeycutt, Rowan-Salisbury Schools food and nutrition assistant; Mike Caskey, county commissioner; Nick Adkins, Rowan County Chamber of Commerce board member; Preston Wallace; Rob Robertson, former principal and current founder and head of the Salisbury Music Conservatory; Robin Shoe, executive assistant to Anthony Vann; Stephanie Walker, Rockwell alderwoman, employee at IBM; Tammy Corpening, East Spencer alderwoman; Tim Dixon; Timothy Pharr; Tommy Garver, Landis alderman and Travis Allen, school board member.

Those who attended at least one committee meeting include: Nick Adkins, Travis Allen, Chris Boardman, Brian Brady, Carol Everhart, Danny Gabriel, Meredith Honeycutt, Ellen Howard, Dean Hunter, Robin Leslie, Carl Martin, Angie Miller, Lynn Moody, Eric Nianouris, Robin Shoe, Mark Soeth, Anthony Vann, Stephanie Walker, Preston Wallace, Jason Walser, Lee Withers, Kay Wright Norman, Tim Pharr, Donn Coggins, Jennife Barbee, Aaron Church, Jim Greene, Elaine Spalding, Carol Herndon, Andrew Smith and Kristen Paustian.

According to Vann, committee meetings are on hold until it receives further director from the Board of Education.

Contact reporter Rebecca Rider at 704-797-4264.