Wake County School System Presents Building Needs Through 2008
Wake County Public School System staff discussed student growth and school building needs from July 2004 through June 2008 with the County Commissioners and Board of Education during their monthly joint luncheon, Wednesday, March 19.
The Wake County Planning Department projects WCPSS enrollment - which is already over 104,000 - will reach 160,000 students by 2020. WCPSS continues to add over 3,000 new students each year.
"With this growth comes certain demands, such as quality facilities and an adequate number of classroom seats," said Don Haydon, associate superintendent for auxiliary services. "Research shows that the physical environment affects student learning. "
To determine how many new schools WCPSS could potentially build, the two boards will set a target percentage of students to have in permanent seats (as opposed to mobile classrooms).
WCPSS also developed a list of school building needs based on the county's enrollment projections, a professional architect/engineers' building assessment of 61 existing campuses, and internal assessments from principals, and facilities and maintenance staff. Most of the schools on the list - mainly those built in the 1950s and 1960s - need building systems replacements, which may include heating, ventilating and air conditioning (HVAC), mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems.
"Taxpayer support for past building programs allowed the district to make improvements to many of our campuses, and as a result, most of our schools are in pretty good shape," said Mike Burriss, assistant superintendent for facilities. "The consultant's assessment told us we need to continue funding improvements, or in 10 years we'll slide back to having 90% in poor condition."
To prioritize needs at existing campuses, WCPSS examined factors such as health and safety, building condition, site condition, and educational programs. Professional consultants identified the cost of corrective work, which includes capital improvements, deferred maintenance, safety items, Americans with Disabilities (ADA) repairs, site work, and statutory code compliance projects.
After Wednesday's presentation, the school system and county staff will determine the PLAN 2004 building program scope and bond program amount, balancing funding between existing buildings system replacements, other facility needs and constructing new schools. A bond referendum is tentatively scheduled for fall 2003.