2026 NHC School Bond

This fall, New Hanover County residents will have the opportunity to vote on a school bond to fund significant current and future education needs in our rapidly growing region.

“We are in full support of the school bond,” said Chad Hodges, President of McKinley Building Corporation. “We encourage all voters to do their part in getting this referendum passed for the children of New Hanover County.”

Simple Economics

Across all grade levels, the bond is set to fund the construction of new schools and the expansion of others, as well as address safety improvements, obsolete technology and overall infrastructure needs.

It’s also no surprise that the cost to operate our schools continues to rise in all areas—including for food, maintenance, utilities and transportation. Past budget cuts have resulted in many schools not having significant work done in more than 25 years, and deferred maintenance is taking its toll.

It’s also important to note that students are not the only beneficiaries of the bond. When employees are looking to relocate and companies are looking to expand or move operations, the quality of local schools is absolutely considered. Better schools lead to greater opportunity for everyone.

Easy Math

The per taxpayer cost of the $320,525,000 bond has been reduced by an impressive 71 percent, thanks to a grant of up to $116 million from the New Hanover Community Endowment.

With this gift, the property tax rate increase is only one-half of one cent per $100. Doing the math: For a property valued at $100,000, the increase is only $5.00 per year. For a $400,000 property (which is the average price of a home in NHC), the increase is only $20 a year.

Given that investing in excellent public schools is one of the best investments one can make in a community, we encourage you to educate yourself on this topic and vote for the future.

To learn more and to view a detailed list of proposed improvements, visit https://www.nhcgov.com/2971/Statement-of-Disclosures-On-General-Obli.

McKinley Building Corporation is proud to be a Builder Level Sponsor of the 2026 School Bond.