001Mr. Ethridge, >> you lead us, please. >> Keep keep me till Allan his family, they lost an aunt and keep her in prayer. And another thing I've been praying for the people in flood that have been in flooding situations because you can't say just Texas because they've been hitting a lot of different location. Keep them in your prayers too. >> Thank you. Face to the American flag. I aliance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for it stands one nation under God indivisible with liberty and justice for all. >> Thank you Jerry. Board members, you have the minutes from our June 30th, 2025 open session amen minutes. Um, are there any changes needed to those minutes? If there are no changes, board the chair enter second by discussion. All
002in favor by saying I. All opposed. They are approved. Mr. Superintendent, are there any changes to the agenda? >> No changes. >> We will go into our first order of business. Mr. Stephen King, that was quick, wasn't it? >> Yes, sir. >> Fair members of the board. So just want to speak to you just a minute about the Mosley preliminary design of the LJ Bell School that we selected and the grant application process. So today we had a virtual meeting uh with Mosley and their team. Um the application is not available yet. We had said it come out sometime in July. It's not available yet and typically it's due sometime in September, October, but we don't have either of those definite dates yet. So when we met uh we went through all the spaces that
003Mosley has identified for the new school classrooms, offices, counselors, just all the things and you know we've made some modifications, added a few things, took a few things away. Um so that that was just kind of their presentation today to start with that. So what they've come up with so far is about 71,000 square feet. Now, I think it'll increase some, but if you take that number times the $450 a square foot that they gave us in in their presentation the last time, that's about $32 million. So, you know, and that that is taken in consideration. We still would remodel the auditorium and remodel the gym. So, I think that was that was looking pretty pretty promising. Um, so the current um that we talked about today um would allow for 50 additional students capacity
004over what LGB has currently. So that's basically two more classrooms. Um that would give a core what they call a core capacity of 600 core. There's 532 students there now. So core includes all all the staff custodial you know teachers principles everybody in the building would be about 600 core capacity. So I thought that was good. That was one of the things that I mentioned you know we would like to you know if we're going to build a build new building have it a little bit larger than we need currently and anticipating you know future expansion future growth. Um so for the purposes of the grant Mosley will develop a schematic drawing which is basically a floor plan and just a 2D floor plan um of what we tell them we're needing. They'll place that
005on the site and that'll be what they use for in the application. Um so they'll al also um in the application process we'll list uh deficiencies of the current school. You know why we're why we're want to replace this to start with. Um um we we'll tell them what we've done to prepare for this. the facility study. We've met and gone through the building, myself and the design professionals identified the deficiencies and things just so basically uh Mosley will help us build our case in the application process of why we feel like we need why we should be awarded the grant to replace the school. Um so we have scheduled a work session with Mosley that'll be Monday the 28th from 9 to 12:30. You should probably get a calendar invite for that. Um, >>
006say that again, please. >> Monday, uh, the 28th from 900 a.m. to 12:30 and then Tuesday the 29th from 1:30 to 3:30. So the Monday morning session uh will be a meeting with all the stakeholders that will be involved with this this project. So that will be principles, curriculum, board members, community leaders, you know, just everybody that would have have a stake in in this project. Um, and this would be more of getting all these folks together and and having an icebreaker, talk out loud. We make, you know, discussions and listen mostly will listen to what we feel like our needs are. Um and then a after that Mosley said that they usually break that larger group and that group I think they said that they should typically be between 25 and 30 people. So
007um they would take that core group and break it down into smaller groups and the smaller groups would um lay out the spaces you know go through the list that we've identified and they were talking about taking some little squares that that are made to scale and place them on the in the building and just kind of get the flow in the layout. They said they would also provide um some different um design types, whether it's, you know, a school that's brick and it just looks classic or is it are we anticipating a more modern look, you know, glass and angled shaped roofs. And so they they would give us some options with that to to help us decide, okay, this is the direction we want to go. Um so after that morning session, Mosley's
008team will get together and take all the information that they've gathered from us during that morning session. They'll, you know, talk amongst themselves and prepare a presentation for the next day. So Tuesday afternoon will basically just be a presentation from Mosley saying, you know, from what we've gathered and we've talked to you, this is what we feel like you need. This is what we're going to put in the grant application. Um so we'll get a chance to them and you know provide minimal feedback at that time because keep in mind they're just trying to get an idea of what we need get something on paper so we get application once we you know are approved for the grant then obviously we we circle back and get more into the weeds of things and really spend
009some time and provide input. So, Stephen, is all this work based on the assumption that the building's going to be in the current location or did you say something about the location? >> I I I did not um you know, previously um we did talk about that and as Miss Dennis would Mosley said that typically on a site where the building's at is the best spot for it. That's why they picked it originally. >> So, um >> but I thought they said they would do like a survey or something to help user That was still correct. >> Yeah, I'm sure that information, you know, and I can make note of that to make sure they have that when they do have that meeting on Monday to give us some options. Okay, we can do it
010here or we can do it here. Give us some options and that will be one thing we we will discuss with them. >> Thanks. Excuse me for interrupt. >> That's fine. Um, and then, you know, and I'm sure that leads into relocating the students or keeping them on on site. So, you know, that's a decision at some point we we will definitely have to make. Any questions? >> I just have one point of clarification. The board will be invited. You are not required to be there for the um exercise, but you of course would be invited to do to be a part of that if you wanted to be. >> Have we reached out to county leaders as far as the county manager and potentially commissioners to get them involved in that? Have we had
011any conversations? >> So, I think we just today just got it on the calendar and so now we're going to take the next steps of deciding who the people will be to be invited. Yeah. >> If um will there be notes taken and we can see the notes. Just say we don't come on Monday morning but we come Tuesday afternoon. >> Will we see the notes from Monday? >> I I've participated in this process before and as best I can remember. Yes, you will be you will have um a if you just come on Tuesday afternoon to see sort of the final results, you'll have a pretty good idea of what was discussed and what came up in the group, the people who put the puzzle pieces together. Yes. >> Anybody more questions? Well, I
012was just wondering if it's really a good idea for us. >> I mean, is it or is it >> um I mean >> I didn't hear your question. >> I just wonder if it's a good idea for board members to come. Do they >> Yeah, I mean I think I think either way is fine. Honestly, the one thing that we all have to keep in mind about this exercise is that's going to happen in a a couple of weeks or whatever. Um, is that this is going to be the preliminary thoughts on a design that will go in the application to show the to show the people making the decision about who gets the grant and who doesn't that this is um that they have an idea of what they want to do. It is
013by no means the final plan. There will be lots and lots and lots of more design meetings when when they start to design the what will actually be the real floor plan. Now, you know, when I went through this process before in a different district, they they ended up taking one of those and that was where the architect started was from this from this, but it still ended up being quite different than what that was >> because it doesn't even though it's a brand, it doesn't have to be the same. >> That's right. >> Architectural design. You're not locked into it. That's correct. To get the grant going >> if you're available, I'd say it's it's a worthwhile exercise. >> If nothing else, you get to hear what people are thinking about, you know, just
014like what they think the perfect location for a school cafeteria would be. >> Stephen Alice, you said about, you know, architectural design or or brick or whatever. New modernization is LJ Bell in the historic district in Rockingham. >> Sure. >> Because I know Rockingham Middle School was Darl, wasn't it? >> It is. It is. >> So, we we would have to have the historic >> Yes, that's correct. >> Society or whatever be a part of that. >> That's correct. Okay. I know it's not on the agenda, but I don't know if you want. >> Sure, that'd be great. >> We started moving furniture building. This past week, we moved three rooms of EC prek to the ninth grade academy where they'll be set up. That'll give them opportunity to um get their stuff organized before
015school starts. And in Christmas break, we're planning on moving the rest out of Jamesville, if not before. We we may move some before if possible. Um at the high school, they're currently moving some stuff within the building from room to room just kind of as needed to to suit the needs of the new teachers coming in. Um, and then there in the end there will be some items that will be taken away from the high school either to surplus or they may be just no good. We may trash them or they will go back to Night Academy. Um, on Friday, uh, I guess it would be last Friday the 11th, um, we did get the TCO for the new gym building, which is temporary certificate of occupy. And that just allowed us to be able
016to start moving some furniture in. We can't occupy the building, but it is a a big step moving towards the final. Uh we did move two classrooms in the new two classrooms from light academy into the new classrooms in the basement, the gym. We just got the furniture put in in there. Um so the two Fridays ago, I guess it was now, we did the the upper level walkthrough punch list with architect engineers. This coming Monday, we're planning to do the first level and exterior and then we'll go, it's called a back punch on the level two. We'll go back and and items they say that they completed that are on our list. We'll just double check, make sure that's done. Uh I did ask Muter today when they anticipated having the CO, which is
017when we can actually occupy the building. They didn't give me a firm date. They just said the 1 of August. We're here at the 17th now. So that's just a couple weeks away. So hopefully that'll be um hopefully they'll carry through with that. And then the build building dedication is set for Friday, August 15th at 9. I guess you got that invitation. >> Steve, I got a question about the James building basically. And I'll do whatever the board wants to do, but we won't have anybody else in that James building come the start of the school year. Is that correct? >> No, unless we get it get everybody moved. The only ones we've moved up so far were the EC prek. So there's still I guess prek >> specialist. >> We can't move them out
018because we're still we're moving to the nth grade academy. Is that correct? >> That's correct. >> So that's not going to be ready. >> So I'm just I'm just trying to figure out how we can get rid get try to either offer it back to county what we have to or put it up for sale and get rid of it because the longer we keep it, the more insurance, the more everything we have. I think >> with James building as long as we can get it, you know, instead of kicking that can down the road, as I always say, just try to get it up for sale or if the county don't want it, off our records. >> Any other questions? >> Thanks, Steve. Thank you for all your hard work. >> So, board members,
019I need a motion to enter into close session pursuant to Northtown General Statute 143 318 111813 and 6. So, we have a motion by Mr. Bowwin. >> Second. Second by Miss Hornsby. Any discussion? All in favor by saying I. All opposed. We are now in close session.