September 15, 2022

Back to School: State provides $358 million in lottery funds for school construction and repair

Ahoskie Elementary School in Hertford County — The new $21 million elementary school opened last fall, replacing an old school built in 1954. It features state-of-the-art classrooms and a new auditorium, the only one in the county.

Granite Falls Middle School in Caldwell County — Opened last year, replacing a school built in 1935. The 86-year-old building desperately needed an upgrade. The renovated school now has a new gym, state of the art technology, and more space for middle school students to spread their wings.

Last month, NCACC’s 115^th Annual Conference featured a session with the North Carolina Education Lottery to share news of the increased investment that is adding millions more to what was already earmarked for school construction.

If your county has dreams of building or repairing school facilities, the new state budget allocates 40 percent of the money raised by the NC Education Lottery this year – $358 million – to help make those projects a reality.

The investments planned for 2023 are:

$100 million to Public School Building Capital Fund. These funds go to all 100 counties based on student population.
$208 million to the Needs-Based Public School Capital Fund. The fund provides grants of up to $30 million for a new elementary school, $40 million for a new middle school, and $50 million for a new high school. New grants are expected to be announced this fall. Check this website for more information on the fund.
$50 million to the new Public School Building Repair & Renovation Fund. A $500,000 grant goes to each of the state’s 100 counties to help renovate and repair school buildings. That’s in addition to $300,000 grants provided last year. Counties must apply to receive the grants at the Office of School Construction in the N.C. Department of Public Instruction (NC DPI). Learn more about the new fund and get the Distribution Request Form on NC DPI’s Capital Funding page.

Additional Lottery allocations this year include $385 million for non-instructional support, $78 million for the NC Pre-K program, $41 million for need-based scholarships, and $21 million to assist with the costs of school transportation.

Follow the links above for information on how your county can access funds available to them through the NC Education Lottery.