CHARLESTON, W.Va. — The state School Building Authority handed out two rounds of funding totaling close to $16 million during a Monday meeting in Charleston.
The SBA annually selects projects for funding submitted by multi-county technical education centers and projects under the agency’s Major Improvement Project (MIP) category.
“We awarded seven different counties with the projects they had (MIP) and we awarded six of the multi-county statewide grants,” SBA Executive Director Andy Neptune told MetroNews following Monday’s meeting.
MIP funding is going to projects in Wayne, Barbour, Monroe, Hardy, Calhoun, Tucker and Mason counties for approximately $5.8 million.
MORE see projects approved here
“These involve things like classroom additions, roof replacements, safety upgrades, exterior doors, safe school entries, things like that,” Neptune said.
There were requests from 15 counties for MIP funding. Projects in Cabell, Webster, Monongalia, Pocahontas, Mingo, Randolph, Summers and Lewis counties will have to look elsewhere for funding.
The SBA awarded $9.6 million to six multi-county projects including work planned at the Roane-Jackson, Calhoun-Gilmer technical education centers.
“The Department of Education has really made it an initiative to rejuvenate our technical centers and we want to be able to help provide opportunities to those centers,” Neptune said.
MORE see technical education centers funding here
Additional action by the SBA Monday included approval of a construction extension request from Raleigh County for the new Stratton Elementary School.
Neptune credited Gov. Jim Justice and state lawmakers with their efforts to continue to fund the SBA and make school construction a top priority.
County school systems from across the state are scheduled to present their “needs” projects to the SBA in November or December.