Painted into a corner by ballot box defeats and economic reality, the Davie County Board of Education is coming to grips with what may be its only option in the long-running drama about Davie High School.
Repairing the old Chevy would a bitter pill for board members who dreamed of a sleek new Buick. They squirmed last week when faced with the recommendation by its building and grounds committee that the campus be rehabilitated and expanded to replace the trailer park of classrooms with a two-story, 30-classroom building.
The board heard a three-phase plan to add the classroom building, renovate the gym and build a new kitchen and auditorium along with other cosmetic and infrastructure improvements. The estimated price is $7 million, a fraction of the $30 million the board wanted last year.
After a decade of unpleasantness, the sour economy may finally arbitrate the fix. Home values have fallen and tax revenues are uncertain. The recession lingers. During pleasant economic times, voters twice rejected plans to build a new school.
Interim superintendent Bill Steed counseled the board last week that fixing and expanding the existing campus may be the only realistic solution.
The board isn’t close to …