Can a $178M bond for school improvements 'bridge the gap' between east and west Pender?

Samantha Worrell was one of many Pender County residents active in the November general election.

When she was asked to support a $177.77 million bond referendum with a large chunk going to new schools, Worrell voted "No" along with 9,842 other people.

"It's unequal to me," said Worrell, a parent and taxpayer living between Rocky Point and Burgaw. "If the money was being used to bridge the gap between the schools (then yes), because there is a gap between the east side and the west side. I know our board members and our commissioners like to say, 'no there isn't.' There is and the people on the western side feel it and we see it. It just doesn't seem fair to everyone."

Results from the election showed that more than 11,000 voters showed support for the bond, making up 53% of voters. The other 46.9% were against it. County officials took several steps to have it on the ballot because of overcrowded schools in the Topsail region and for other building repairs throughout Pender.

More:As growth looms, western Pender residents take pride in rural life

Election night results showed that the majority of voters in the western areas didn't want to see it passed. With a total of 19 precincts in Pender County, there were more for than against in nine precincts and vice versa for the other 10. Worrell was not surprised to see the split.

"My reasoning is the ridiculous amount of interest that has to be paid along with it," she said. "That's the reason I voted no for the last one as well."

To pay the principal and interest, it's expected to cost taxpayers between 5 and 11 cents per $100 of assessed valuation. Officials also noted taxes will depend on other matters such as a schedule for issuing bonds, terms set and actual interest rates.

Previous bond coverage:With Pender County Schools' $178 million bond set for public hearing, here's what to know

"All of that interest money is going to those at the top and I feel like most of the money from the bond is going to the eastern side of the county who have a lot more money than those on my side of the county - the western side," Worrell said.

According to forecast totals provided to the district, there as more than 10,400 students enrolled for the 2021-2022 academic year. Current enrollment numbers are showing 11,050 as of early January. Today, school capacity numbers are showing Topsail schools near capacity. A few examples are Topsail Annandale Elementary with 632 students in a building with a capacity of 506; Topsail High with 1,772 students with a space capacity of 1,400; and North Topsail Elementary with 621 students in a school designed to educate 511 children.

Bob Fankboner, communications coordinator for Pender County Schools, noted space issues are in schools near the U.S. 17 corridor, which is near the New Hanover County border. The corridor is also close to the beaches of Topsail Island and the Intracoastal Waterway.

With only a 6% percent difference between voters, Fankboner said it's not surprising the eastern part of the county was in favor for the bond.

"The passing of the bond will work to alleviate this overcrowding with the construction of two new schools on land to be determined by the County," he stated. "While overcrowding is not as prevalent in the central and western part of the district, had the bond not passed these schools would have been significantly impacted by redistricting."

A leg up?

With the money, the county would like to spend $111.55 million for a new elementary for 800 students and a new middle school for 1,200. School officials are still trying to find exact locations, but officials said it will be somewhere near the N.C. 210 corridor. The process would also involve turning Topsail Middle School into a freshman academy to help with overcrowding.

The other projects are:

∎ Renovation at Topsail Middle School - $22.60 million∎ Addition to Rocky Point Elementary School - $1.21 million∎ Burgaw Middle School cafeteria rebuild - $4.27 million∎ Central Services building/maintenance - $21 million∎ 8 bay maintenance building - $17.12 million

Superintendent Dr. Brad Breedlove said all schools will benefit from the bond.

"The district improvements paid for through bonds increase safety, support evolving educational practices, modernize aging facilities and directly improve the quality of life in Pender County," Breedlove stated to the StarNews. "With a successful bond, more projects move up on the priority list for capital needs and future bonds."

Although the list includes projects for western Pender, Worrell said officials should focus on the economic differences between both sides.

More:As eastern Pender development blossoms, growth on the coast brings challenges

"They spend equal amounts of money at the schools, but honestly when we look at statistics, children who live in more affluent areas have a leg up," she said. "They just do, rather it's connections that their parents have or the time and money their parents can put into their education.

"Like volunteering, I'm sure if you look at volunteer rates on this side of the county, versus that side of the county, more people can volunteer because they have more money, more time, and probably fewer single households."

Another example she mentioned was a soccer game with Topsail student-athletes having new uniforms and another team from western Pender wearing T-shirts.

Worrell believes more money should put into western Pender schools for after-school programs and tutoring to help bridge the gap. She doesn't know the logistics on what bond money could be used for, but she added that focus should be placed more on teachers and not losing them to other districts paying more money.

According to the 2020 Census, the count for the unincorporated community of Hampstead was 7,016 — an increase of 71.9% (2,933 people) from the last period. Officials said numerous times, the growth of eastern Pender and school capacity is a good reason to put the biggest projects on that side of the county.

But Worrell stressed other schools have needs, too, especially in places such as Rocky Point with the addition of the Falls Mist Village neighborhood, which will bring 750 single-family homes to the area.

More from Rocky Point:Will inevitable growth cause this Pender County community to lose its Mayberry feel?

"The developers just come here and use our county as their own personal playground and we're left with a big mess," she said. "I don't think our leaders look at it like that."

The project is expected to double the population of the area, which will more than likely come with new students in Rocky Point.

"They're putting some of that money towards Rocky Point Elementary, but it's not going to be enough," she said. "The whole thing just feels like a Band-Aid to fix it for right now and we're going to keep having this issue and we're going to keep having to vote on more and more bonds. I'm not OK with that."

Breedlove said Pender County Schools will continue to ensure equity and access for all students so they will have great school and learning experiences regardless of where they live. The work also includes making continuous improvements such as a reported mold issue at Topsail Middle.

"Multiple air quality assessments have been performed at Topsail Middle School and Pender County Schools has followed the recommendations made by the vendor who performed the assessments," Breedlove said. "Pender County Schools will continue to perform the necessary maintenance as directed by the vendor who has stated the air quality at all of our schools is safe."

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Reporter Chase Jordan can be reached at cjjordan@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Wilmington StarNews: With a $178M bond for Pender Schools, will west Pender benefit from it?