The Roanoke County Board of Supervisors has announced a proposal that will provide Roanoke County Public Schools (RCPS) $130 million to fund a new Career and Technical Education (CTE) Center and make improvements to two elementary schools. This is the largest amount of funding the County has ever provided to RCPS and enables them to complete all three projects sooner than expected. This funding will be available starting in early 2024.
RCPS identified the critical needs for a new CTE Center in Roanoke County, as well as renovations to W.E. Cundiff Elementary School and Glen Cove Elementary School.
The current CTE Center has to turn away students each year due to capacity issues. “Our business community has shared their desires for well-trained students to enter the workforce immediately,” said Board of Supervisors Chair Martha Hooker. “A new CTE facility will expand the programs offered, provide more opportunities for students and meet the needs of our business community. Ensuring our children’s success and sustaining our local economy is critical.”
W.E. Cundiff and Glen Cove Elementary Schools were also identified as schools in need of renovations to help facilitate learning. The Board of Supervisors agreed there are issues at these two schools and improvements of the open-classroom spaces are needed.
The Board of Supervisors and County staff worked for many months to find solutions within current and future funding streams that would also allow them to meet the capital needs across all County programs, and remain fiscally responsible with taxpayer dollars. In the last four months the Board of
Supervisors provided two funding proposals to the School Board intended to meet the desired needs.
This new proposal will provide $80 million to be utilized for the new CTE Center and $50 million to be utilized for improvements to Glen Cove and W.E. Cundiff Elementary Schools. Planning has been underway for the three projects, including recommendations from renovation studies for the elementary schools and the purchase last year of 28-acres of land to build the new CTE facility.
“As a former educator, I understand the importance of providing an environment that encourages growth and learning, and provides the foundation for our future,” added Hooker. “I’m proud that we have been able to secure this record amount of funding for our school system. We’ve paved the way for them to advance their capital projects and ensure the educational needs of our students are met.” The Board of Supervisors will approve the new funding proposal at a future board meeting.
