LUMBERTON, N.C. (WBTW) – It was a tense evening at the Robeson County School Board meeting Tuesday night.
The meeting lasted nearly two and a half hours as parents and teachers had plenty of questions concerning a plan for several new schools in the area. Those in attendance made plenty of noise as they listened to board members and county commissioners made the case in favor of the new schools project.
“We need to know why we should believe that you care about our students’ lives and not just about the bottom line,” said one person.
Most of the concerns centered around just how far the plan had progressed in recent weeks. Some seemed to be under the impression that deals had already been made that things were going along without the consent of the people of Robeson County.
“This is a backroom deal,” another citizen opined. “They’ve already decided who’s getting the money and they think we’re stupid.”
Robbie Ferris, president of SFLA architecture, stood and did what he could to answer the questions asked by the people in the room. Ferris defended his track record building schools in both North and South Carolina. He also wanted to clear up any confusion about where the project stands today.
“We haven’t even designed the buildings,” explained Ferris, who is also the architect on a similar new schools project in Horry County. “We don’t know where the land is yet, we’ve gotta locate sites. We’ve got a lot of work to do over the next year. It’s gonna take a year. And then we’ll start bidding the construction and moving forward.”
Some still don’t trust the project, saying the school board does not their children’s best interests in mind.
Another man made a scene to show his support for school improvements, standing and loudly interrupting the meeting. He held up pictures of what he called mold damage in Robeson County schools. Police removed him from the room.
After nearly two and a half hours, the meeting ended without a vote. Another meeting has been scheduled for Monday night.
Count on News 13 for continuing coverage of this project.
