CHATSWORTH — Though ground has yet to be broken, North Murray High is moving forward.

Core Properties of Chattanooga was awarded the bid for construction testing services for the site on Mount Carmel Road at $71,775 by the Board of Education Monday night. Those services include testing of field density, concrete, reinforced steel and masonry, among others.

The school board also announced that $15 million in bonds had been sold to help finance the construction, “the largest majority for the first phase of the new high school,” said chairman Julius Weyman. Some of the funds will be used to offset the cost of the new roof at the current Murray County High, which cost $3.2 million.

“We’ll pay it back with SPLOST (Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax) collections, so go out and spend that SPLOST money,” Weyman suggested to several dozen in attendance.

Steve Loughridge, chief financial officer, pointed out that $1.233 million of the cost of the re-roofing project will be repaid by capital outlay bonds sold by the state, since the school system had to use local money over the summer to complete the project. The “punch list” for the roof was completed in June and the project was labeled finished.

“Those bonds should be sold this summer, and we’re entitled to some of those funds,” he said.

June was the first month this year where SPLOST collections exceeded projections, school officials said. The $383,326 that came in exceeded the projected $372,699 by 2.9 percent.

Spring Place Elementary will also get a new roof. Brindle & Davis Metal Roofing of Dalton got the nod for the work they priced at $34,500. It will also include replacing the insulation in the ceiling that has been falling down.

Vice chair Crystal Felty said the board will look at the school safety issue of students checking out early for the day.

“We want to make sure they’re getting in the right vehicle,” she said, indicating that a “sticker” system may be used to label vehicles that have been approved to pick up students.