The Granville County Board of Education will meet for a work session on Monday, April 19, 2021 at the Mary Potter Center of Education. The board is expected to receive and approve the 2021/2022 budget proposal that will be presented to county commissioners and hear a task force update related to further school consolidation.
The meeting is scheduled to begin at 4:30 p.m. To join the livestream meeting, please use the following link: https://live.myvrspot.com/st?cid=MDhkZj. Members of the public wishing to attend the meeting will be required to wear face coverings, undergo health screenings before entering the building, and cooperate with social distancing requirements. There will be limited seating available. The Mary Potter Center of Education is located at 200 Taylor St. in Oxford.
Board Chair David Richardson convened a strategic task force last year to navigate the process of increasing efficiency of current facilities. Dr. Stan Winborne, GCPS public information officer and assistant superintendent of operations & human resources, said more details should be available in the next couple of months and perhaps a decision about school mergers or closings could come in the summer.
“The board of education realizes that we have a problem with empty classrooms. We’ve got more space than we do students and so they’re trying to increase our operational efficiency with our facilities,” Winborne told WIZS News.
The board of education held a joint meeting with county commissioners on Mar. 29 to discuss the issue, which included a $ 23-30 million proposal for construction and renovation at Hawley Middle School in Creedmoor.
Winborne said both boards have the basic information needed to continue the decision-making process.
“The real obstacle is trying to find the best solution for children – that we can afford,” he said.