FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
MARCH 25, 2025
ORANGE COUNTY SCHOOLS
The Orange County Board of Education once again seeks input on school construction projects to be financed in part by the 2024 school bond. All are invited to participate and help shape the future of facilities that serve the students of Orange County Schools.
District staff will host four in-person gallery walks for the public on April 7, 8, and 9, with large posters and details for three major project proposals. Community members are also invited to review and rank these options for future capital improvement projects using a short online survey that opens March 28. All surveys and sessions are open to the public.
Updates about school bond construction, including materials for review and opportunities to provide input, may be found on the district website at orangecountyfirst.com/schoolbond.
In February, over 400 community members completed an online survey or attended one of two in-person community input sessions. These data were first presented to the Board of Education on March 10, 2025.
With more data available at their March 24, 2025 meeting, the Board reviewed three proposals for major construction projects spanning the next 10 years. All three options include new construction and renovation to address schools with the highest priority needs, identified by the most recent facility conditions assessment and the district’s Capital Improvement Plan.
At a future meeting, the Board will decide which major project to pursue to make the best use of school bond proceeds and other capital improvement funds provided by Orange County. As Chief Operations Officer Fredrick Davis stated to the Board, “The decision on the first project under the 2024 bond is critical to ensuring that the time, scope, and budget outlined in the bond referendum are met effectively.”
Option 1 proposes the on-site replacement of Central Elementary School, Option 2 proposes a new elementary school built near Gravelly Hill Middle School, and Option 3 proposes a new school for Kindergarten through 8th grade on the site of Orange Middle School. Other projects are proposed in each option to make the best use of all available capital funds over 10 years.
The survey will open at orangecountyfirst.com/schoolbond on Friday, March 28.
Materials for review and survey links will be posted for at least two weeks through April 11, 2025.
The four gallery walk sessions open to all public visitors will be held as below:
- Monday, April 7 from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at the OCS Welcome Center, 920 Corporate Drive
- Monday, April 7 from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. at the Whitted Human Services Building, 300 W. Tryon Street, Hillsborough (before the regular Board of Education meeting)
- Tuesday, April 8 from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. at OCS Central Office, 200 E. King Street
- Wednesday, April 9 from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. at OCS Central Office, 200 E. King Street
