TITLE
Title
GUILFORD COUNTY SCHOOLS (GCS) CAPITAL PROJECT AMENDMENT: ERWIN MONTESSORI SCHOOL
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SPONSOR
Sponsor
Dr. Whitney Oakley, GCS Superintendent (Dr. Julius Monk)
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BACKGROUND
Background
Guilford County voters approved $2.0 billion in school bond referendums to address school capital needs identified through a comprehensive facilities master plan jointly developed by the Guilford County Board of Education and Guilford County Board of Commissioners. The County continues to evaluate funding requests with Guilford County Schools through the Joint Capital & Facilities Committee, which meets quarterly to guide the completion of the school bond program.
When establishing a project ordinance, the Board of Commissioners takes multiple steps to monitor projects. For Erwin Montessori, an initial project ordinance was established for design and pre-construction for $8,372,058 on April 15, 2021. A project ordinance amendment was approved on June 18, 2025 for $3,183,556 for early release work including sitework, utility infrastructure, and pre-purchase of long lead materials. On July 28, 2026 the Board of Education approved a guaranteed maximum price contract for construction totaling $36,867,302. This information was reviewed by the Joint Capital & Facilities Committee on July 29, 2026.
The total project ordinance will total $51,031,620. The final project cost ended up being $3.3 million higher than initial programmed amounts based on higher site preparation and onsite expenses. The additional funding will come from savings from Claxton Elementary ($1,186,695) and Peeler-Hampton Elementary ($2,100,960), which were already completed.
The school is a magnet school that will serve an estimated 350 students in a 71,361 square foot facility.
|
Erwin School Site |
|
|
Magnet or Standard School |
Magnet |
|
Original School Count (of students served) |
275 |
|
Rebuild School Count (of students served) |
350 |
|
GCS Student Count (average for elementary) |
448 |
|
Comparable Counties Student Count (average for elementary) |
465 |
|
15-year student enrollment projection |
350 |
|
Design Cost per Square Foot |
$34.38 |
|
Onsite Costs |
$10.7M |
|
GCS On-Site (average for elementary) |
$7.8M |
|
Construction Cost per Square Foot |
$408.23 |
|
GCS Construction Cost per Sq. Ft (average for elementary) |
$418.55 |
|
NC Construction Cost per Sq. Ft (average for elementary) |
$421.62 |
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BUDGET IMPACT
Budget Impact
School Capital Outlay Fund
Erwin Montessori at Former Archer Elementary Site
$39,476,006 increase in appropriation to capital project
$39,476,006 increase in Other Revenue (Bond Proceeds)
Claxton Elementary
$1,186,695 decrease in appropriation to capital project
$1,186,695 decrease in Other Revenue (Bond Proceeds)
New Visual & Performing Arts School
$2,100,960 decrease in appropriation to capital project
$2,100,960 decrease in Other Revenue (Bond Proceeds)
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REQUESTED ACTION
Requested Action
Authorize staff to take any and all necessary actions to amend project ordinances associated with the project readjustments or adopt necessary project ordinances.
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