The Virginia Board of Education has approved the latest round of school construction grants for 34 projects across the state, including at 16 schools in Southwest and Southside.
The funds total more than $132 million, providing 22 school divisions with money to put toward renovations, additions or new construction.
The funding comes as local communities struggle with decaying school infrastructure at the same time that many are also exploring ways to raise additional revenue for school construction projects.
The Virginia Department of Education has awarded more than $750 million in grant funding through the School Construction Assistance Program since 2023.
The General Assembly approved the creation of the program in 2022 as part of a $1.3 billion effort to improve school infrastructure.
Heather Ault, superintendent of Buena Vista City Public Schools, said it would be extremely difficult for the school division to complete its Parry McCluer Middle School project without the state funding.
The division will receive about $5.19 million toward the work; the award represents about 30% of the $17 million project — the most the grant will fund.
Applications for the grants are graded based on 11 criteria, including building conditions and the local community’s economic need. Winning projects can get up to 10%, 20% or 30% of the cost of a project paid by the state. This year’s application period closed July 27, and the state board approved the recommended award amounts a month later during its August meeting. This application cycle, 53 projects from 35 divisions were submitted, and 34 were awarded funding.
Buena Vista’s project includes moving sixth and seventh graders to a new space on the existing Parry McCluer High School campus, creating “two distinct schools under one roof,” Ault said in an email.
This includes creating separate instructional areas and administrative and student support spaces for the middle schoolers. Plans also call for a new gym, auditorium and wood shop for the high school career and technical education programs.
“These additions will address space limitations, expand opportunities for academics, athletics, fine arts, and career preparation, and provide facilities that can serve our students and community for many years,” she said.
Funding through the grant program was critical to making the project possible amid the division’s other ongoing capital needs related to aging buildings and infrastructure.
“School construction costs can place a significant burden on a small community such as Buena Vista,” she wrote. “The … grant provides essential state support that allows us to move forward with a comprehensive, long-term solution while reducing the amount that must be funded locally. Without this assistance, completing a project of this scope would be substantially more difficult.”
Lynchburg City Schools, which received about $9 million toward three projects, noted similar needs.
This year alone, the division plans to address “architectural and mechanical, electrical and plumbing” projects at five elementary schools and two middle schools; replace a roof at Sandusky Elementary; and add a gym at Heritage Elementary, according to a construction projects update at an Aug. 11 school board finance committee meeting.
At Tuesday’s joint school board meeting with the Lynchburg City Council, council member Chris Faraldi acknowledged the importance of projects that extend the life of existing facilities.
“This is the kind of stuff that isn’t flashy, it’s not the most fun. But man, it makes a huge impact,” he said.
Travis Marshall, the school division’s chief operations officer, said the many projects in the division’s capital improvement plan have a direct impact on learning environments for students and the safety and security of buildings — and, he hopes, bring a “sense of pride to our schools.”
Funding school safety
The Education Department also announced this week the recipients of $12 million in funding for school security equipment.
Nearly 400 schools across 91 school divisions, including 32 in Southwest and Southside, received awards ranging from about $14,000 to $250,000.
The funding can be used to update or renovate buildings to add security vestibules — small, enclosed entryways with interlocking doors at the entrances of buildings — to enhance the safety of the school and to purchase school security equipment.
“School security is always top of mind for every superintendent, principal and parent across the Commonwealth, and last week demonstrated the importance of secure buildings. We’re pleased to provide them with the resources they need to keep their staff and students safe,” Jenna Conway, state superintendent of public instruction, said in a statement. “These grants represent a shared investment in Virginia’s schools.”
Roanoke County and Lynchburg schools were among eight divisions that each received the largest allocations of $250,000 for upgrades.
Lynchburg City Schools has projects planned at Dearington, Heritage, Linkhorne, Paul Munro, Perrymont and Sandusky elementary schools; Hutcherson Academy; and Linkhorne and Dunbar middle schools.
Roanoke County Public Schools has projects planned for Mount Pleasant Elementary, Northside Middle and Oak Grove Elementary.
Roanoke City Public Schools also received more than $132,000 for projects at seven schools.
Staff writer Emma Malinak contributed information to this report.
