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A month after unveiling new weapons detection equipment, Pitt County Schools is trying out a vape detection system and is considering investing millions of dollars in additional campus security.
Aaron Errickson, executive director of operations and facility services, told the Board of Education that the school security council is recommending new identification badge-activated door hardware on each of the 1,638 classrooms in the district. This would permit teachers to enter the school building and their classrooms using their school ID badge and would allow for locking the campus in an emergency.
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The state budget approved by the General Assembly last week includes a $600,000 allocation for Pitt County Schools.
The district reported Monday that the money will be used for a kitchen waste replacement and grease trap installation at Ayden Elementary School; an on-site waste management system overhaul at Falkland Elementary; and replacement of waste piping at North Pitt High School.
Aaron Errickson, executive director of operations and facility services, told the Board of Education that PCS will seek about $1.2 million from the state repair and renovation fund to reinforce school gymnasiums at Wellcome, Farmville and Ayden middle schools. Errickson said that the buildings are not structurally unsound, but they need wall and roof reinforcements to provide a safe space to shelter during weather events.
Errickson also shared the 2024-25 capital project needs request list. The largest proposed expenditure on the list is $17.5 million for a Tech Academy building. The building, to be located on the campus of Pitt Community College, would be a joint venture between the school district and the college for students to begin learning a skilled labor trade while still in high school.
The list also includes a $935,000 project to replace the electrical system at Wellcome Middle School, as well as $640,000 for generators at G.R. Whitfield and Grifton schools. The generators are being proposed due to ongoing power issues at the schools following weather events.
Eight projects, totaling more than $75 million are being proposed for the following elementary schools: Ayden, Belvoir, Creekside, Eastern, Ridgewood, South Greenville, W.H. Robinson and Wintergreen Primary. Most of the projects involve adding classroom space so that schools will comply with House Bill 90 class size requirements.
Errickson said the school district plans to submit applications to the Needs-Based Public-School Capital Fund for grant funding. If a grant is approved, a match would be required from the county.
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