Perry County Secures Land, Plans New Robinson Elementary by 2028

Perry County Schools formalized a long planned relocation for Robinson Elementary when the school board signed the deed for property off Highway 80 near the Elk Run Subdivision on November 11, 2025. The purchase follows the July 2022 flood that inundated the original Robinson building and forced students and staff to move to the former A.B. Combs school for instruction, a disruption that has persisted for more than three years.

District officials said the acquisition capped several years of due diligence and planning. “We’ve been working on this property now for a couple years. Trying to solidify all the things that needed to be done through the examinations, the titles, the deeds and all of that. We’ve finally come to a conclusion and signed the deed,” Jody Maggard, CFO of Perry County Schools, said, describing the finalization of the purchase process. Design work on the replacement school is nearly complete, and the district has outlined a construction schedule intended to bring students into a new building by the start of the 2028 school year.

The district has maintained daily operations out of A.B. Combs since the flood while investing in repairs and accommodations. “They’ve been just really resilient the students and staff and everyone involved. We can’t thank them for their patience enough,” Maggard said. “We’ve done a lot of work to the A.B. Combs, the former A.B. Combs school, to make it as good as it can be down there, but it’s still not their home. It’s still not their school.”

Maggard provided a concrete timeline for the replacement campus and noted visible signs of progress. “We are looking to start construction in 2026. It’ll be an 18 to 24 month project, construction wise. Then we will be able to start school August of 2028,” Maggard said. “We’re starting to see now, thing come to fruition and actual, tangible thing happening. You can drive by the property now and there’s a sign that says this is the future property of Robinson Elementary School,” he said.

For Perry County residents the deal has immediate practical meaning. Rebuilding on new land reduces the likelihood of repeated flood disruptions, provides a stable, purpose built campus for early grades, and will allow the former A.B. Combs building to return to a supporting role for extracurriculars and sports activities. The construction phase, projected to last 18 to 24 months, is also likely to generate demand for local contractors, suppliers and crews and to inject construction spending into the county economy during the project.

From a policy perspective the multi year process underscores the administrative and legal hurdles small rural districts face when managing capital projects, from title examinations to design completion and budget alignment. With the deed signed and design nearly wrapped, district leaders now face the tasks of construction oversight, coordinating financing and lining up community support as they move toward the targeted August 2028 opening.