County Manager Jerry Ayscue encouraged a discussion of the Vance County Board of Education’s request to build two new schools because of a shrinking window of opportunity to hold a referendum on the issue on this November’s ballot.
The discussion was pursuant to an item on the “Pending Business” portion of Monday’s regular Vance County Board of Commissioners’ meeting.
According to Ayscue, 90 days of lead time are required for an item to be put on the ballot.
“That’s right now,” the manager told members of the board.
Although Commissioner Dan Brummitt expressed the opinion that getting the issue on the ballot would be a “good idea”, board Chair Danny Wright called a referendum an “exercise in futility” due to the timing of it.
In reply to a question from Brummitt, Ayscue indicated that the board had not received information it had requested from the Vance County school system. Both Commissioner Scott Hughes and Ayscue were unclear as to whether the schools’ priority was a elementary school or a middle school.
In recent months, the county school system has placed an emphasis on deteriorated conditions at the Clark Street Elementary School. The system has expressed plans to close the facility if a replacement should become available.
Commissioner Tim Pegram stated that “a lot of people are wondering what’s going on in the general public”.
Member Terry Garrison championed the cause of replacing the Clark Street facility.
“I’m ready for it to be replaced,” Garrison said. “It’s just time.”
Board members came to an informal consensus that a meeting with the Board of Education is necessary. Garrison expressed a desire to have [an Education Committee] meeting as soon as possible.