SALISBURY — For the second time since November, members of Rowan County Early College’s student-led school improvement team stepped into the spotlight to share their story.

It was a story that started in 2012, when early college classes were moved from Rowan-Cabarrus Community College’s 200 building into a series of mobile classrooms.

Now seven years in at the supposedly temporary quarters, capital needs for the pods continue to grow: leaky ceilings, standing water, mold and structural weaknesses, to name a few.

Students presented these and other concerns to the Rowan County commissioners in mid-November. Though no action was taken then, a Monday presentation to the Rowan-Salisbury Board of Education may finally result in change.

Anthony Vann, the Rowan-Salisbury Schools vice president of operations, said he had not been aware of the school’s maintenance needs. Accordingly, on Tuesday he sent the system’s director of construction, Chris Knuckles, to the school to assess the voiced concerns.

“His team visited the early college today,” Vann said. “They’re in the process of completing an assessment and work orders and are supposed to get back to me about what their plan is.”

Though funds to address capital and maintenance needs are tight for the school system, Vann said there is money available to address routine maintenance — a small leak in a roof or mold, for example.

“Any air quality issue, we take it very seriously,” he said. “Staff works very quickly to remediate it.”

Though addressing the maintenance needs may be a win for students, presenters expressed displeasure that a plan for permanent and structurally sound facilities has yet to be worked out.

Student Victoria Neumiller said providing space for the early college was in Rowan-Cabarrus Community College’s 2008 master plan.

“Numerous sections of the plan mention the early college,” Neumiller said, adding that the plan listed the early college among programs housed in a new 400 building. “If that was fulfilled completely, then our school wouldn’t be in trailers.”

Sophomore Dalton Canup presented the team’s ideal solution: a new, stick-built facility with 14 classrooms, two large science labs and more.

“Some of our staff are forced to work in small rooms and offices, and one even had to move to the college campus,” Canup said. “This building would give our staff the room that they need to work.”

The student-designed learning space came with energy-efficient planning, such as solar panels on the roof.

Adrian Maldonado, also a sophomore, defending the concept of a new building, saying it could benefit the community as well as students.

“By supporting us, our community creates higher-level educated residents, more engaged students and a more qualified workforce,” Maldonado said.

He added that although the idea of the new space had been supported by the county commissioners and school board, the school improvement team was aware that funding for the space remains the largest hurdle.

But Neumiller said the students are more than willing to accept alternative options, like a dedicated space in the RCCC’s 300 or 600 buildings.

“The 600 and 300 buildings could both provide an adequate space for the early college with the anticipation of increasing class sizes,” said student Oriana Reed, referencing another school improvement team vision of increasing enrolled from 65 to 100 students per grade year.

School board Chairman Josh Wagner said the Rowan County Early College facilities had been talked about a lot during his six years on the board.

“If nothing changes for the early college, this will probably be the biggest disappointment for me personally,” he said, “because I absolutely believe that program should be expanded.”

Wagner said he is aware that other variables would come into play before a solution and space could be found.

“A lot of that does fall on the community college,” he said. “It’s not our property. We cannot build a building on that property even if we wanted to without their OK.”

Wagner said the college is in a “little bit of a weird spot” as it looks at making space for the early college on its existing campus: the logistics of co-mingling college and working-age adults with high schoolers is an “odd variable to balance.”

When board member Dean Hunter asked students how they are treated during their time on campus, they reported that the college faculty has done well to treat early college learners and traditional college students equally.

They felt “pretty welcome,” said junior Claire Allen, but having an actual building or being on the college campus could help them become even more integrated into the college setting.

Still, Reed said the college administration had seemed less than enthused about the relocation. Maldonado called the college “less than receptive.”

College President Carol Spalding responded.

“We regret that the students interpreted the college’s actions as being unreceptive,” Spalding said. “The renovation of the early college facilities is the responsibility of Rowan-Salisbury Schools. … Our intent was to help redirect them to the appropriate processes through the school system to help them pursue their goals.”

In an emailed statement, Spalding said the college appreciates the enthusiasm of Rowan County Early College students. “We … look forward to a continued partnership as we all work to support improved facilities.”