The land replacement site for Newton High School has been chosen and the Board of Education has approved the purchase of the 117.7 acres on Crowell Road North.

The price per acre of land was $19,331 for a total purchase price of $2,276,600. Construction is scheduled to begin on the replacement school in the spring with an opening date set for the start of the 2013-2014 school year.

In more building news:

• The construction for the new elementary school set to open next year is roughly two weeks behind due to inclement weather. The big box and little box main level sections of the building are on schedule and preliminary paint work is continuing on the east side of the building. The project is 59 percent complete.

• The foundation and the footings for the Newton College and Career Academy have been excavated and the structural steel support is currently being installed. Concrete should be poured and completed in the next 30 days.

•Additionally, the procurement department of the school system, in conjunction with representatives from the city of Covington, Newton County Board of Commissioners, Newton County Water and Sewerage Authority and staff members from the Center for Community Preservation and Planning will meet as part of the Center’s Infrastructure Siting Committee. Their focus is to coordinate future school locations with other county projects to provide for proper growth and expansion according to the 2050 plan for the county.

Although the school system is facing major cuts, the cost of the new schools is paid entirely out of funds from the Special Local Option Sales Tax (SPLOST), which can only be used for construction per law.