Board Meeting - November 9, 2026

Spartanburg School District One Board of Trustees meeting, November 9, 2026: The board received a detailed update on its $140 million school construction program, with projects budgeted at $20 million for New Prospect, $50 million for O.P. Earl, and $70 million for T.E. Mabry. New Prospect is under construction; the update reported an estimated $854,000 in potential savings against its development budget, with $700,000 in kitchen-equipment funds also applied to the project. The board was told that O.P. Earl’s $6.1 million early-site package had been signed, with Palmetto Grading and Drainage named as contractor. Current O.P. Earl estimates were slightly above its budget, and the district plans to bid the academic building in December and target approval of the next guaranteed maximum price (GMP) by February 2027. Mabry’s early design estimate was about $65 million against a $70 million budget; bidding is planned for early 2027 under a single GMP. The district is continuing value engineering and reviewing flooring, furniture, and other design choices. The board also discussed using capital funds for a previously approved $500,000 New Prospect playground and carrying project savings between school projects.

The board unanimously approved the 2027–28 school calendar and the listed consent agenda, which included the check registry; no specific check or new contract award was identified in the transcript. It approved policy revisions on second and final reading. The draft audit was presented with a clean opinion; the district reported spending $5 million of previously set-aside funds to purchase land for Chapman High School, and the unassigned general-fund balance remained at 23% of expenditures, above the state’s 8.33% minimum. The auditor identified a transportation drug-and-alcohol testing compliance issue involving the district’s third-party testing provider; corrective steps are planned. The board discussed financial stewardship and oversight of the construction program, but took no new construction-award vote during this meeting.