Roanoke County launches school construction projects

Roanoke, Virginia – On Wednesday morning, Roanoke County authorities, along with other community leaders, convened with the students and staff of W.E. Cundiff Elementary School to initiate a significant restoration and expansion project.

This is the first of three concurrent projects that the Roanoke County School system is working on. The $27 million makeover is a personal undertaking for Principal Ashley McCallum and marks the start of a new era for the school.

Following the groundbreaking ceremony, McCallum told reporters, “I’ve come full circle and I’m the principal. I was a former student here when it was called Hardy Road Elementary.” Being a part of this community and event is undoubtedly an experience I will treasure forever.

The school district will also begin building on the $75 million new Roanoke County Career and Technology Center and the $30 million rehabilitation of Glen Cove Elementary within the next two weeks.

According to Tim Greenway, a member of the Vinton District School Board, “We are proving that we can do three things at once.” “And just as raising a child requires a village, completing these projects also requires one, and that’s what we’ve done. We can accomplish this, and Roanoke County will improve as a result.

It hasn’t always been easy to bring that village together, as the School Board and the Board of Supervisors’ relationship has been strained by the issue of how to pay for the improvements.

County officials, however, assert that their attention is on the reality that urgently needed upgrades are currently being made. “We can approach projects and issues in a respectful manner and find solutions that are worthwhile,” stated Dr. Ken Nicely, the superintendent of Roanoke County Public Schools. “I believe that this is what has transpired. Therefore, we are happy that everyone came together to kick off the renovations today.

The new CTE facility is scheduled to open in the winter of 2027, while the renovations of the two elementary schools should be finished by fall of 2026.