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Long Range Facility Master Plan

This page is designed to document the progress and process of Board of Education adoption of a Long Range Facility Master Plan. Below you will see some information about our assessment as well as a history of school construction for Craven County Schools. Each time a document or meeting is held to work on this process it will be documented below.

  • February 2019: Board of Education engages Smith Sinnett Architects to conduct the Long Range Facility Master Plan
  • April 2019: Initial Assessments of Schools begins by Ed Gordon, Vice-President and Principal for Smith Sinnett Architects
  • November 2019: Draft initial assessment of school facilities completed
  • December 2019: Final assessment completed
  • January 2020: Long Range Facility Master Plan Document: Initial Assessment Book distributed to Board of Education, Board of Commissioners, and key staff
  • January 14, 2020: Long Range Facility Master Document: initial Assessment presented by Mr. Gordon to the Craven County Board of Education

History and Context for Long Range Facility Planning

Craven County Schools facilities range in age from 69 years old which includes buildings on the campus of J. T. Barber Elementary to 13 years old (Creekside Elementary) which represents the last new building construction in Craven County Schools. Three schools have been constructed in this century,  Havelock Elementary (2002), Bridgeton Elementary (2003) and Creekside Elementary (2007). The order of the initial construction of each of our school buildings is below: 
 

School Year of Initial Construction
(Current Buildings)
A. H. Bangert Elementary 1966
Arthur Edwards Elementary 1961
Ben. D. Quinn Elementary 1991
Bridgeton Elementary 2003
Brinson Elementary 1953
Creekside Elementary 2007
Graham A. Barden Elementary 1953
Havelock Elementary 2002
J. T. Barber Elementary 1951
James. W. Smith Elementary 1988
Oaks Road Academy 1958
Roger Bell New Tech Academy 1986
Trent Park Elementary 1954
W. Jesse Gurganus Elementary 1991
Vanceboro Farm Life Elementary 1953
Grover C. Fields Middle 1955
Havelock Middle 1956
H. J. MacDonald Middle 1971
Tucker Creek Middle 1997
West Craven Middle 1978
Havelock High School 1971
New Bern High School 1991
West Craven High School 1971


This represents approximately, 2,098,198 ft2 of school facilities. The average age of school facilities in Craven County Schools is 1971; nearly 50 years old. Although some of our school facilities are in adequate working condition, the age of the building makes them a challenge for the type of technology needed in our buildings to match the workforce development needs of our students as well as the changing demands of a 21st century classroom. Furthermore, there is a significant amount of deferred maintenance in our buildings resulting from the average capital outlay expenditures over the last decade. That amount has averaged $825,000 annually over the last decade which ammortized per square foot is approximately $0.39. Or, to put it a different way, it is $35,870 per facility per year. This is not enough. Touring our facilities reveals buildings that have significant maintenance and upgrade needs as well as some facilities that, because of outdated HVAC, mechanical systems, electrical, and plumbing systems, are well past a point of urgency.  In addition, we have some wall systems that are breaking down and cracking which present more urgent needs.

All of this information coupled with the declining enrollment we are seeing in some schools related to military relocation and homeschool transition are forcing us to assess our facilities with an eye towards effective instruction, efficient use, and workforce development needs.

In February 2019, Craven County Schools engaged with Smith Sinnett to conduct a Long Range Facility Needs Assessment and use that assessment to assist the Board of Education in making a Long Range Facility Master Plan. 

For historical reference, Craven County Schools last utilized the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction to conduct a long range facility plan in 1990. Since that time we have had assessments of current facilities which provided information about the current footprint of our facilities and deferred maintenance. However, we have not had a plan that addressed the deferred maintenance, attendance planning, facility upgrade considerations and or the replacement of facilities. Since Hurricane Florence, it has become more urgent than ever that we create a plan to optimize our current facilities, make decisions about which facilities to continue in use, which facilities to transition to new uses, and to assess against our instructional program and each building's ability to provide instruction that meets the workforce needs of our community and region in the next decade. 

Long Range Facility Master Plan Documents

Long Range Facility Master Plan: Initial Conditions
 

Executive Summary

If you are having trouble viewing the document, you may download the document.

Staff/Community Presentation (Feb/March 2020)

If you are having trouble viewing the document, you may download the document.

Staff and Community Feedback

This is all of the feedback received from Craven County Schools staff and community members at the three feedback sessions (February 25 & 27, March 10).