GO Bond

A General Obligation (GO) Bond is a voter-approved financing process that allows the local government (Cabarrus County) to borrow money at low interest rates to fund major public infrastructure and capital projects. Structured similarly to a home mortgage, it spreads capital costs over a multi-year period so that future residents who benefit from the facilities also help pay for them.

Under North Carolina law (N.C.G.S. 115C-408(b)), school operating budgets are designated for day-to-day operational expenses, such as teacher salaries, instructional materials, utilities, and minor repairs. County governments are legally responsible for constructing and maintaining physical school buildings. Annual operational budgets do not possess the cash reserves required for multi-million-dollar capital construction projects.

The proposed education bond totals $340 million, shared between Cabarrus County Schools and Kannapolis City Schools to address immediate, prioritized facility needs.

Cabarrus County's tax rate is currently set at 42.50 cents per $100 of assessed property value. If approved, any potential tax rate adjustment would take effect in the fiscal year following bond debt issuance. Homeowners can calculate their individual estimated impact using the interactive tax calculator provided by Cabarrus County.

The project includes constructing a two-story, 40,000-square-foot addition containing 18 new classrooms to handle enrollment growth, as well as a new dedicated gymnasium. Additional work includes replacing aging HVAC piping, air handlers, and roofing systems, as well as expanding staff parking and redesigning car and bus circulation loops to enhance traffic safety.

Jackson Park houses the Spanish Dual Language & Global Magnet program. Dedicated classroom expansion is required to support program enrollment without severe overcrowding. Additionally, the school's existing HVAC and piping systems are over 15 years old, creating a risk of costly emergency failures if not proactively replaced. We also want to be able to provide a gymnasium for Jackson Park students and Kannapolis residents (currently the school only has a multipurpose room for these purposes).

Planned upgrades for A. L. Brown High School include demolishing the structurally condemned historic Cannon Gym and replacing it with a new 50,000-square-foot facility housing 16 modern classrooms, administrative offices, and a new cafeteria. The vacated cafeteria and administrative spaces will be repurposed into five additional classrooms, a dedicated JROTC drill area, and specialized practice space for the Drone Technology pathway.

The current cafeteria was built for a significantly smaller student body and seats roughly 400 students at a time. With current enrollment at approximately 1,750 students and projected growth, expanded dining space is required to prevent adding additional lunch periods that would disrupt and reduce daily class time.

Constructing a brand-new high school is estimated to cost over $135 million, excluding land acquisition. Renovating and expanding A. L. Brown provides a cost-effective alternative that maximizes existing campus assets while expanding student capacity.

Annual North Carolina lottery allocations received by the district are relatively small and fully allocated toward ongoing minor maintenance projects across all nine district schools, such as security upgrades, window replacements, and accessibility improvements.

If unapproved, the legal mandate to house students remains. The district would likely need to purchase or lease temporary mobile modular trailers, redraw school attendance boundaries, adjust school schedules for extra lunch periods, and divert operating funds toward emergency maintenance on aging HVAC systems.

To look up precinct locations, voter registration guidelines, early voting options, or election schedules, visit the voter resources section on the Cabarrus County Government website or contact regional election officials.