The Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools Board of Education approved construction documents for the new Ashley Elementary School during their meeting on Tuesday night.
The project, which was approved and funded by Forsyth County voters as part of the 2016 bond, saw construction documents completed in March. The bid process is ready to begin and should take between 30-45 days, and board members will likely have a chance to approve a contractor in August. Once groundbreaking happens, the school should be ready to open its doors within 18 months.
Numerous advocates for the new campus came out to speak in favor of the project. Specifically, they requested that local contractors, especially women and minority-owned businesses, be given consideration in the bid process, and that a community manager at risk should be utilized to minimize added costs down the road.
Advocates were pleased with the results of the meeting, and Senior Executive Director of Facility Planning and Construction Darrell Walker is confident that this process is going to result in a new Ashley Elementary School that the entire district can be proud of.
“I hope the community knows that we’re all excited about the potential opportunity we have in front of us,” Walker said.
Also on the board’s agenda for the evening were:
- A performance by the Ward Elementary School Drumming Squad
- Recognitions for students who won awards at the state science fair and organizers behind the WS/FCS prom closet
- Updates on the 2025-30 strategic plan, summer retesting, alternative accountability models, and science curriculum standards
- Approval of a change order for tunnel repairs at East Forsyth High School, an easement for Piedmont Natural Gas at East Forsyth, a budget amendment and transfer connected to Title III Language Acquisition, and several other action items
- Superintendent Tricia McManus’ announcement that she will be retiring at the end of the school year, more information on which can be found here
The Board of Education will meet again on Tuesday, May 13 at 6:30 pm.