Masks come off, bonuses approved, and Tar Heel school project takes a step forward

Feb. 16—ELIZABETHTOWN — A mandatory rule to wear face coverings in Bladen County Schools has been lifted for the next month.

And school district employees will be receiving another bonus, this time $1,000 to most before spring break.

Board of Education members on Tuesday evening in regular season voted 5-4 to make a change in the mask policy. Their vote on the matter is required every month by action of the state General Assembly, which sought to give localities authority relative to conditions. Previously, Gov. Roy Cooper was having final say.

Pushing for the change were former chairman Roger Carroll, Chris Clark, Tim Benton, Alan West and Dennis Edwards. Chairman Vinston Rozier, Vice Chairman Glenn McKoy, Gary Rhoda and Cory Singletary wanted to keep students and teachers masked up.

The decision means within facilities, masks are not required. However, on school transportation vehicles like buses, they remain mandatory for all.

Personnel got a bonus in the fall, given in part because of how all are handling educational needs during the COVID-19 pandemic. They first got a bonus in fall of 2020.

Dr. Jason Atkinson, the superintendent, said the intent was to get the money to employees before they depart on spring break in April. The amounts are pro-rated for those not full-time.

The board took more action toward the new school construction project in Tar Heel. Having let bids for the septic system installation three times, the district is finally settled on who will install and added a layer of protection with the hiring of Bordeaux Construction Co. from Raleigh to supervise and manage.

Lowest bid the third time around was again Quality Septic Services of Wendell, although this time for $337,632.45. When submitted in the second round, Quality's bid was $244,958.50.

Voting against Quality's bid were Benton and Edwards.

The school board's contract with Bordeaux adds another $10,350.

This bid process was done twice; the first resulted in one bid by the Tara Group of Lumberton for $425,000. In the second try, two bids came in, one from Quality and one from Bladenboro's Callahan & Wells at $435,000.

Atkinson told the board a different round of bids are expected to open from March 15 to April 1 as the project begins to move forward. The district is still awaiting word from the state on whether a request for $40 million through the the N.C. Department of Public Instruction's Needs-Based Public School Capital Fund will be approved.

That answer should come by the middle of March.

The Tar Heel School project, if the $40 million request is approved, could place a state-of-the-art, $47 million facility capable of housing 800 students in kindergarten through eighth grades on the N.C. 87 grounds where Tar Heel High once stood and where Tar Heel Middle now houses grades 5-8. Plain View Primary School, a K-4 school on Chicken Foot Road, will close.

The plan is for the new school to open in fall of 2023.

Originally, in January 2021, Bladen County Schools gained approval for a $15 million grant. A local match is required, $1 for $3 in grant funds for Tier 1 counties and dollar for dollar in Tier 2. Bladen County is Tier 1.

Then, this year, the General Assembly approved and Cooper for the first time since being elected in November 2016 signed a state budget. Within it was an increase in the Needs-Based Public School Capital Fund, and Bladen County has applied for $40 million; it's match will remain at $7 million.

The project of SfL+a projects a total cost of $47,142,022.

In other matters Tuesday:

—Bladen Early College High School has a calendar for the 2022-23 year. Students begin Aug. 15 and end on May 25, taking exams before Christmas. There are two built-in weather days.

—School uniform policy has been changed to include jeans, due to supply line issues. The board, with Atkinson's direction to principals, was clear to point out sagging britches and holes will not be permitted.

—Board members met in closed session for about 40 minutes, emerging to approve two action items related to personnel. Bennie Lennon is the new maintenance director, replacing Rusty Worley. One retirement and seven resignations were included.

This story authored by Alan Wooten of the Bladen Journal. Contact him at 910-247-9132 or awooten@bladenjournal.com.