New Kent School Board sounds off on 2027-28 CIP, calls on county leadership to step up funding

Even though the 2026-2027 school year just began, New Kent County Public Schools are already looking into improving campus property and infrastructure for the next fiscal cycle.

New Kent Assistant Superintendent of Operations Jonathan Hochman presented the first draft of the school system’s Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) for FY2027-28 year.

Hochman said, “We want to protect our investments. We have lots of stuff; schools, systems, lots of buses and things like that. We spend a lot of time and money on those things, and we want to make sure we take care of them.

“We also want to move to proactive from reactive,” he continued. “We don’t want to come back and ask for money. We want to make sure our students and staff have really nice facilities related to all things capital.”

Hochman laid out the list of CIP projects into three tiers. Tier one focused on critical needs while tier two focused on instructional needs and tier three focused on athletic needs. Each tier was also divided into different categories.

In tier one, transportation focused primarily on the purchase of four new buses at a total cost of $788,630.44. Hochman commented that when he started six years ago, each new bus cost approximately $130,000. Now, the cost of a new school bus exceeds $190,000. Other critical needs in the area of transportation include two school vans ($90,038), a transportation lift ($55,568,73), and HVAC for the wash bay and shop, which does not have a cost as the director of operations said they are still awaiting bids.

In general operations, HVAC replacement and additional water source heat pumps are in year three of five of their cycle at the high school, with expected costs totaling $1.25 million combined. A new elevator at New Kent Middle School comes in with a price tag of $233,068.

Hochman homed in on keeping New Kent Elementary School continuing to maintain aesthetic and operation needs as a new elementary school is scheduled to be built. Until then, the director of operations commented that a new room is needed for the gym and green house at New Kent Elementary School, costing around $625,000. Hochman added that there is a need for HVAC repairs all around New Kent Elementary School but prioritized the rainbow and red houses. While quotes are still being received, he believes the cost will enter the $2 million range for both.

George Watkins Elementary School items listed include the replacement of fan coil units ($415,506), HVAC replacement ($315,725), and roof work on the gym ($207,454).

Other critical projects listed by Hochman include HVAC maintenance ($150,000), district wide paving ($100,000), and new maintenance vehicles ($191,418.84). Several information technology (IT) projects listed include districtwide camera assessment, access control work, upgrade intercom and alert systems at the high school and George Watkins Elementary School. Hochman commented that they have been receiving comments about cameras in school and they are planning to do a thorough assessment.

Tier two (instructional needs) include $300,000 for the technology one-to-one initiative (computers), IT infrastructure to New Kent Elementary School ($160,000), and replacement furniture ($25,000). Projects that have been mentioned in the past that have been referenced in previous school CIPs appeared again, including the construction of a new elementary school ($58 million, which was adopted in the current year’s fiscal cycle to initiate construction), 10 classrooms at New Kent Middle School ($5,437,500), and 10 classrooms at George Watkins Elementary School ($6,718,750).

Athletic needs that are listed on tier three include the next phase of updating New Kent High School’s Athletic facility (entryway, concessions, bathrooms, locker room, storage) at a cost of $3.5 million, upgrading practice fields at New Kent High School ($185,000), tennis court upgrades ($74,258), and roofs overtop of the baseball/softball dugouts ($29,567).

In total, requests for the 2027-28 fiscal year are listed at $9,025,541.01. Hochman says that is the current amount as of today, pending the receipt of bids for some projects.

District 5 School Board Representative Gregory Reimer commented about the presented CIP and the importance of the county knowing what the school district is dealing with.

“These critical needs aren’t just critical needs for the school, but critical needs for the county,” he said, pointing to how repairs of county vehicles are also handled by school mechanics and staff. “In order for us to maintain the service level that we are maintaining for the county, keeping our EMT vehicles in service, which I presume is important, but at the same time, we are talking about the whole budget, we are talking about air conditioning for people who maintain EMT vehicles.

“I think we need to make clear this point, more than what we have done in the past, “Reimer continued. “I would like to see us the next time we present to the county that we are spending this much money to maintain county vehicles, not just school vehicles, but county vehicles and we are a critical resource to the county and our people deserve to have air conditioning.”

District 4 School Board member and chairman Ron Vaught did not mince words when it came to the county’s funding of school projects.

“To be one of the fastest growing counties in the Commonwealth of Virginia, it is beyond me why the county is still run like Mayberry RFD when it comes to funding and playing the shell game with capital and money,” he said. “Administration, teachers, and parents are working their cans off with the students to sit on the money on elementary funding and we can’t even find a place to build it [new elementary school].

“We got some of the folks that they have been negotiating with willing to make concessions so that the land can be used specifically for a school and nothing is being done,” Vaught continued. “Yet, we are going to spend $2.6 million to improve a school that students shouldn’t be in anyway and shouldn’t have been in for some time because of the way it’s been laid out.

“I hope that anyone who listens and understands the complexity of what we’re dealing with,” the chairman said as he wrapped up his comments. “This isn’t a school board issue; this isn’t a school administration or employee problem; this is a county board of supervisors’ problem and issue. Enough is enough, and I can’t imagine [New Kent Superintendent of Schools] Dr. [Brian] Nichols having to go into New Kent Elementary School and having to tell the folks there who have done nothing but improve education in that crummy building according to the standards and telling them that we are going fix your AC or are we going to fix this so we can buy another three years.

“I have never in my day seen or been involved in the most ridiculous of lack of decision-making in this county, and I hope students and parents and citizens get involved and attend their meetings. We are two to three years out, even if they broke ground today, and New Kent County is better than this and we deserve better than this,” Vaught concluded.

District 2 Representative Helena Cunha let her emotions speak during the board comment period.

“These young people, the poise and clarity of their speeches and emotion and life lessons, they are models for everyone else,” she said, referencing presentations given by students from the New Kent High School’s ROTC program and Senior of the Month Keegan Branciforti. “It reminded me of why I became a teacher so many years ago.

“Every child is capable of amazing things,” Cunha continued. “This is why we need that new, New Kent Elementary School. We need the funds to continue to do the work. There is nothing more important than investing in our children because they are the future of our nation and the world.”

District 1 New Kent School Board member Jessica Stewart echoed her colleagues’ viewpoint in pushing forward with the new school project.

“The class size data is another piece of evidence to move forward with thoughtful planning for this new elementary school immediately,” she said. “We know that smaller class sizes can support stronger learning environments and stronger student outcomes, including academic achievement.

“New Kent Elementary School continues to lead our three elementary schools in overall enrollment and number of classes needed at various grade levels,” Stewart continued. “It further illustrates the capacity challenges that we are facing. The fact that fifth grade alone requires six teachers is one example of the growth and demand in that building.”