Students at six schools in Henry County will have new furniture when they return to the classroom next fall. The school board approved the 2024-25 furniture replacement at their November meeting. This is the third year of the program.
2024-25 Furniture Replacement
The 2024-25 furniture replacement will cost the district $6.8 million. The replacement includes six schools. They are the following:
- Austin Road Elementary,
- Cotton Indian Elementary,
- Smith-Barnes Elementary,
- Stockbridge Elementary,
- Eagles Landing Middle, and
- Stockbridge High.
Approved state vendors, Ernie Morris and Nu Idea, submitted the bid cost based on a state contract. The school district expects to receive the furniture next spring. District staff will then install the furniture during summer break 2025.
About the Furniture Replacement
The Henry County Schools strategic plan set out to create a furniture growth and replacement program. The school board adopted the five-year plan in August 2021. It spans from 2021 to 2026.
In summer 2023, the school district replaced furniture at three schools. They were Oakland Elementary, Locust Grove Elementary and Fairview Elementary. The three schools, some of the oldest in the district, were the first year under the furniture replacement program. The furniture for these schools cost $2.2 million.
Over this past summer, the district replaced furniture at four additional schools. This included the first middle and high school. Those schools were Hampton Elementary School, Wesley Lakes Elementary School, Stockbridge Middle School and Eagle’s Landing High School. The furniture cost was $5 million.
Funding for the new furniture comes from the district’s capital accumulation fund. In June 2021, the school board approved the fund for furniture replacement. The board approved additional funding in June 2023. The funds are from general fund revenues, such as property taxes.
Featured image shows a map of the 2024-25 furniture replacement school locations. Clayton Carte / MHF News map created with Datawrapper.
