Greene County commissioners to consider $42 million elementary school project budget
SNOW HILL — The Greene County Board of Commissioners will consider establishing a $42 million capital project budget Monday for the planning and construction of a new elementary school.
The money would come entirely from the N.C. Department of Public Instruction’s Needs-Based Public School Capital Fund. The project budget identifies no required local matching funds.
The proposed budget allocates:
$35,264,484 for construction
$2,115,869 for planning
$4,619,647 for other project costs
Other project costs could include site surveys, materials testing, utilities and geotechnical reports. Land acquisition is not an eligible expense under the grant program.
The county’s agenda packet refers to the project as “Greene County Elementary School.” When the state announced the grant award in November 2025, however, the N.C. Department of Public Instruction described it as a replacement for West Greene Elementary School.
According to DPI, the replacement project is intended to address increased enrollment and provide facilities that meet current educational, safety and accessibility standards.
The grant award itself is not new. Monday’s proposed action would establish the county’s formal budget for administering and spending the previously awarded state funding.
The original grant application anticipated spending approximately $1.56 million during fiscal year 2025-26, $12.08 million during fiscal year 2026-27 and the remaining $28.36 million during fiscal year 2027-28 or later.
The agenda packet does not identify the planned location of the new school or state whether it will be built on the existing West Greene Elementary School property. It also does not provide the school’s anticipated capacity, grade configuration, construction schedule or expected opening date.
Because the grant does not cover land acquisition, the location could affect whether Greene County incurs expenses outside the $42 million state award.
The packet also does not say what would happen to the existing West Greene Elementary School property after the replacement school is completed.
County Manager Kyle DeHaven is scheduled to present the capital project budget ordinance. Commissioners will be asked to take action on the proposal.
The Greene County Board of Commissioners will meet at 10 a.m. Monday, Aug. 3, in the commissioners’ meeting room at the Greene County Operations Center, 312 SE Second St. in Snow Hill.
Residents who want to speak during public comment must sign up at the entrance before the meeting begins. Each speaker will have up to three minutes.
