Cleveland County School Board Approves Bid for Gym Construction

The Cleveland County School Board approved a guaranteed maximum price of $12.39 million from Clark Construction to build a new gym at the Rison School campus. Construction is expected to begin after Memorial Day and be completed by late summer 2027. The project includes demolition of the current gym, construction of a new parking lot, and a new 1,500-seat facility with shared concession and restroom areas. Funding will come from a voter-approved millage increase and $2.7 million in state partnership money, leaving about $1.8 million available for other campus improvements. The board also reviewed ATLAS test scores, which showed Rison students exceeded state averages on nine of 15 exams, and approved several personnel, curriculum, and financial items.