E.E. Smith High School will not be going to Fort Liberty.
A new school will be built.
Where?
We don’t know yet.
That is where we are after the Cumberland County Board of Commissioners voted 6-0 last week for a new school but against a plan to move it to where Stryker Golf Course is currently located. The county could be responsible for funding any new school. The commissioners’ decision Oct. 7, overrode the Cumberland County Board of Education, which had chosen the Fort Liberty golf course over other sites in a 5-3 vote in January.
School officials struck a conciliatory tone, as one would expect when the other party holds the purse strings. The two bodies will have to continue to work together to move anything forward.
Deanna Jones, chairwoman of the school board, said in a statement that the board was grateful to the commissioners for moving forward with building a new E.E. Smith.
“Our goal is to create a state-of-the-art, 21st-century facility that will address both the structural and educational limitations of the current building, including academics, extracurricular, and co-curricular activities,” Jones said. “We look forward to learning more about the next steps and collaborating closely with the Commissioners to advance this project. Additionally, we are excited to work with E.E. Smith alumni, staff, students, families, and the community-at-large as we honor the school’s proud tradition while preparing for a bright future.