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By BARTON PERKINS | Staff Writer

PELHAM – On Tuesday, Sept. 26 the Pelham City Schools Board of Education officially approved the Pelham City Schools Five Year Capital Plan. 

“The real reason for the capital plan is for the State Department to be able to put together and say, ‘Here is our capital needs over the next five years’ and for the state as a whole, to be able to show the legislature needs for funding,” Superintendent Dr. Chuck Ledbetter said.

The five-year capital plan was passed with a unanimous vote of approval by the board members present.

At a previous work session, Pelham’s BOE also officially passed Pelham City Schools’ budget for 2024. The budget was approved at $52 million in expenditures. This can be broken down as:

-60% going to personnel costs.

-13% going to utilities and other professional services.

-18% going to materials, supplies, fees and capital project.

-9% going towards existing debt.

Along with passing the five-year capital plan, Pelham’s BOE considered a few other pieces of business at their meeting, including possibly joining the Standard Bearer School Districts Network and declaring 4.85 acres of property outside of Pelham Oaks Elementary surplus.

The Standard Bearer School Districts Network is a professional development network that exists to increase student engagement and academic achievement. Ledbetter spoke favorably about the group in the meeting and noted its history of success and how other public school systems in the area are already utilizing it.

“They (Standard Bearer School Districts Network ) have been doing this for their work for over 30 years,” Ledbetter said. “So this is not a fly-by-night or a new thing. They will engage all leadership, including our board. So we will do our whole board training and all with them. And it’s about really learning working for the company, learning organization and how we become a learning organization top to bottom throughout.”

The board approved this plan, and then the potential sale of undeveloped real estate near Pelham Oaks Elementary was discussed.

The property in question is 4.85 acres and is considered unusable by Pelham City Schools. If the sale is finalized, the BOE would potentially sell the land to Robert Goggans for $35,000 per Land Sales Contract.

Ledbetter assured the school board that the sale of the property would not affect day-to-day operations at Pelham Oaks and would primarily be used as a “buffer zone” between Pelham Oaks and the nearby road.

The Board of Education then approved the sale, but it has yet to be officially finalized.

The BOE then concluded their board meeting, but not before noting that they would need to reschedule their meeting in October, as it was due on Halloween night. No new day or time were given, but it will be released when available.