The Sampson County School System has been awarded $62 million in state funding from the Needs-Based Public School Capital Fund (NBPSCF) school construction grants to construct a new Hobbton High School. Dr. Jamie King, Superintendent, and Mrs. Eleanor Bradshaw, SCS Board member, made the announcement earlier today at a surprise staff meeting at Hobbton Middle School.
Mrs. Bradshaw started the meeting by saying, “This school year is about to get even better because Hobbton High School is getting a new school building.” The room erupted into cheers and high fives.
“We’ve been awarded our grant from DPI to build a new high school,” said Dr. King. “We won’t start construction tomorrow. But what I can tell you is that we will make sure that we build a school that will meet the needs of students twenty years from now. We will take our time making sure that we make the best possible decisions. We will visit other newly constructed schools to glean from them the best design ideas. We want to make sure that we get it right from the beginning.”
Sampson County Schools first submitted a NBPSCF application in January 2024 but was not approved by DPI. The Board agreed to try again and submit an application during the next round of funding. In September 2024, Dr. King submitted the second application, which was approved by DPI on September 26, 2024.
The North Carolina State Lottery's Needs-Based Public School Capital Fund (NBPSCF) provides grants to North Carolina school districts for critical facility needs. The grants are intended to help economically distressed counties with school building capital needs.
According to the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction, since its inception, the NBPSCF has awarded nearly $2 billion dollars to local school districts, providing funding for new construction projects and the replacement of existing schools.
State Superintendent of Public Instruction, Ms. Catherine Truitt, said the needs-based grants are a key support for districts where local tax resources fall short of needs for modernizing or replacing aging school facilities.
“Just as all students in North Carolina need an excellent teacher in every classroom,” she said, “students and teachers need high quality schools in good repair that help support learning. These needs-based grants are an important boost for many districts and communities – and most importantly, their students.”
Once ground is broken, construction is expected to take 18-24 months to complete.
