Jackson County Commissioners voted 4-1 to shoot down a $105 million school bond referendum at a Sept. 1 meeting, leaving county schools in the lurch for funding millions of dollars of capital improvement projects across the district.
Now, tough decisions must be made regarding what projects to cut or significantly scale back and a tight timeline to make use of the $52 million North Carolina Department of Public Instruction grant awarded in October 2024 to build a new middle school.
The county must break ground on the middle school by September 2027 or forfeit funding, which would trigger a two-year pause on any additional NCDPI grants to the county, which would only compound financial challenges as construction costs continue to rise. As of September 2026, steel prices are inflating at 2-4% per month.
“I feel like we’re never going to have this opportunity again where we can set our schools in a better place moving forward,” Commission Chairman Mark Letson said as he moved to put the general obligation bonds on the ballot.
Letson was on an island at the Sept. 1 meeting when no one seconded his motion.
Tuesday’s vote came as a surprise to many as it was the last step in the months-long application process the county has undergone to gain approval for the bond from the Local Government Commission.
Having previously been among a 3-2 majority in favor of placing the referendum on the ballot, Letson became its lone supporter. Commissioners Todd Bryson and John Smith flipped to join Commissioners Jenny Lynn Hooper and Michael Jennings in opposition.
Hooper has remained steadfast in her opposition to the bond referendum throughout the process and said the 5.26% property tax increase (up 0.4% from initial estimates) the county would impose to repay its debt was too big a burden on taxpayers already struggling with high costs of living.
“Even if we do have a low tax rate, [taxpayers] are not used to that,” Hooper said. “They just had the largest tax increase on the land reevaluation. I just don’t think they need another one right now.”
She also said she doesn’t support putting the referendum before voters because she believes they aren’t informed on the matter.
As previously reported, the $105 million would be spread out among Smoky Mountain High School, Blue Ridge School, the proposed Smoky Mountain Middle School and the Jackson County Transportation Department for high-priority capital improvement projects.
Opposition came from concerns about the projected $108.6 million middle school project. Hooper and Bryson raised several issues about the budget, which has ballooned from estimates of $60 million in two years.
Bryson placed much of the onus for his concerns on Pinnacle Architecture, the architectural firm the county has contracted for the project.
“Tonight, I’m putting Pinnacle on notice to get us what we want because they work for Jackson County,” Bryson said. “We’re paying them. If they can’t, then I guess we need to look at others.”
Commissioners also questioned the feasibility of the 58-acre middle school site due to rocky terrain, despite unanimously approving its $5.8 million purchase in April 2025 following a 13-month selection process.
Jennings and Hooper have stated that they don’t think the county needs a stand-alone middle school. Jennings has previously said he believes the county’s five Pre K-eighth grade schools support better learning outcomes for middle grade students and make better financial sense.
School board members have said a traditional middle school provides better opportunities for advanced coursework, better support for students with disabilities, access to career and technical classes, increased arts programming and opportunities for teacher collaboration.
Before the Sept. 1 meeting, Bryson asked County Manager Kevin King to gather information about middle school construction projects in surrounding counties. King found that Swain County has budgeted $48 million for their new middle school project, which will be 100,000 square feet and fit around 650 students. Graham County has budgeted $38 million for a 108,000 square elementary school, which broke ground on July 1.
Commissioners said that if neighboring counties can build for less, Jackson County should be able to too.
One question following the meeting is the fate of the county bus garage project. JCPS Superintendent Dana Ayers has said it is necessary and if commissioners don’t find the money for a new garage soon, the building at least needs a new roof as soon as possible.
Bond proponents hoped the referendum would preclude having to reroof the 1950s-era building that ultimately needs to be replaced, as staff cannot efficiently service the taller, longer school busses that make up the county’s modern fleet.
Blue Ridge School renovations are also up in the air. The county has already allocated $15 million to build a new kitchen, but the bond would have provided an additional $23.8 million to knock out other items on the school’s wish list, including a new gymnasium, outdoor sports facilities and a two-story classroom wing.
Smoky Mountain High School also faces uncertainty.
The county has currently allocated $2.6 million to the school for facilities upgrades, and construction on renovations to SMH’s track and field facilities and a new ADA accessible ramp at the stadium have already begun. The bond would have allocated an additional $8.3 million for additional school renovations, a track restroom building, and a replacement field house.
Bryson said he believes the $33 million the county has already allocated to JCPS capital projects is no small amount.
“I think that’s pretty darn good for our county,” he said. “I’m proud of it. I just feel like the next board, you all can take this phased approach.”
Correction: A previous version of this article stated that ADA renovations at the Smoky Mountain High School stadium were estimated to cost around $3 million. It should have stated that track and field facilities upgrade and the ADA stadium renovations at SMH are estimated to cost upward of $3 million.