MANTEO — Dare County Schools is currently among the few public school districts in the state without an early college high school, but plans are underway to change that.
“There are 115 districts in North Carolina, and only 17 of them don’t have at least one early college,” Dare County Schools Superintendent Steve Basnight said.
Dare County plans to build a new 25,000- to 32,000-square-foot building on the Manteo campus of College of The Albemarle (COA) to house the early college.
The estimated cost of $25 million would come from state funding designated for school capital projects, according to Dorothy Hester, public information director for Dare County.
If the proposed school gains final legislative approval this fall, it would welcome its first students in the fall of 2025.
They would attend class at the original COA campus off Russell Twiford Road in Manteo while the proposed additional building on the new COA campus at 205 Highway 64 S. in Manteo is under construction, according to County Manager Bobby Outten.
The proposed new building is planned to open in fall 2026, and the school would ultimately serve about 300 students each year, according to Outten.
___
Why early college?
Early college high schools provide a high level of support to students and serve those who are “flying under the radar” especially well, according to Basnight.
Students who are first-generation college, minority, economically disadvantaged and English language learners are prioritized in the application process, and students who seek an advanced academic track are also encouraged to apply, Basnight said.
The application window is typically in the early spring of students’ eighth-grade year. Students cannot apply outside of that window, he noted. Accepted students must commit to a full year, but they could switch back to regular high school after that.
Basnight has worked nearly four decades in public education, including six years as principal of J.P. Knapp Early College High School in Currituck County, during which time he was named district principal of the year twice.
He is passionate about the benefits of this style of school.
“I’m looking at kids walking across the stage getting an associate’s degree a week before they graduate from high school that, honestly, I could see that kid never having taken an AP [advanced placement] class or an honors or advanced course in a traditional school,” he said. “It’s very rewarding.”
Basnight estimated that the inaugural freshman class would have about 50 students and that the school would initially employ about six teachers. Each year, a freshman class would be added.
Current district teachers could apply to work there. Ideally, early college teachers would be certified in multiple subjects, and all staff would be “multi-talented”—such as a bus driver also working as a custodian—Basnight noted.
“It just makes it more financially feasible” for the employees, he said.
He also acknowledged that the local housing challenge is an ongoing staffing hurdle. School officials do not ask if people have a place to live during interviews, but it is on everyone’s minds.
“Anytime we hire any position…you’re concerned about that the entire time,” Basnight said.
___
Options
The dual enrollment option Dare students currently have—to take high school classes and classes through COA to work toward associate degrees—will remain in place.
Early college would provide a different option, whereby “it actually becomes easier to get their associate degree,” Basnight said.
With dual enrollment, students generally begin taking college classes in 11th grade, he said. They usually must take two sessions of summer classes in addition to taking college classes during the academic year to finish the degree by graduation.
Last year, seven Dare County Schools students graduated from high school with associate degrees.
In early college high schools, students begin taking college classes their freshman year and build both their high school and college transcripts simultaneously.
The early college would expand to “potentially 75 kids” per grade level, most of whom will obtain their degrees by high school graduation, Basnight said.
“I want our kids to have this option, I really do,” Basnight said of early college. “Eighty percent of your graduating class graduating with an associate degree—that’s impactful.”
Dare students also have a third free opportunity to earn an associate degree through COA, which is following their high school graduation.
Commissioners created the Dare County Guarantee Scholarship Program for recent high school graduates in 2019 and expanded it in mid-2021 to include adults. The county allocates $250,000 annually for the scholarship program, through which learners can pursue an associate degree or a workforce credential.
___
Current status
The Dare County Board of Commissioners advertised a request for quote (RFQ) for the early college high school project in March, and during its April 2 meeting unanimously approved staff’s recommendation of Oakley Collier Architects of Rocky Mount.
Oakley Collier Architects has been collaborating with Dare County since 2017 on projects for Dare County’s government and school system, according to its cover letter in its RFQ submittal.
The firm designed the expansion of the county’s Department of Health and Human Services, which brought its two buildings together “and created a central entrance area,” according to Hester. Other examples of the firm’s work include designing the Virginia S. Tillett Community Center in Manteo and designing the first and second phases of the county’s ongoing Emergency Medical Services projects.
Outten cited the firm’s strong working relationship with the county and that it has a local supervisor to handle issues as they arise as two of the reasons staff recommended Oakley Collier Architects over the other five submittals.
Most Popular
Comments / 0