Track Record
The Wake County Board of Education and the Wake County Board of Commissioners, supported by the citizens of Wake County, have funded many of the school system’s growing facilities needs and have promoted academic excellence in Wake County during the past two decades.
1983-1992
During this period, evidence of support from the community for school system facilities was demonstrated in the passage of two bond referendums by overwhelming public votes. In 1985 voters approved a $70 million bond issue by a 86 percent majority vote to fund a $100M program titled Phase I (1985-88). A bond authorization of $125 million was approved by 85 percent of voters in 1988 to fund Phase II, totaling $200M for the period 1989-1993.
1992-1993
Phase III building program needs (1993-2000), totaling $735,780,531, were first presented to the Wake County Board of Education and the Wake County Board of Commissioners on November 10, 1992. The building program was subsequently reduced to $600 million at the request of the County Commissioners on January 28, 1993. Soon thereafter, an implementation plan was developed detailing how the building program would be split into Phase IIIA (1993-1997) totaling $299,997,785 and Phase IIIB (1997-2000) for no less than $300,000,000. This reduction in the program was presented to the Board of Education on April 19, 1993. On June 8, 1993 the community approved the issuance of $200 million in bonds for the $300 million Phase IIIA program by a 56 percent majority vote.
1995-1996
The Phase IIIB long-range building program was revisited and updated in the fall of 1995. A report on capital building program needs was presented to both the Board of Education and the Wake County Board of Commissioners on November 15, 1995. The report identified a funding need of $694,706,438 through 2001 that included one additional year (from 2000 to 2001) and startup cost for continuing construction into Phase IV for the period 2001 – 2005. The County Commissioners approved $400,000,000 of the $694 million identified as needs for the Phase IIIB long range building program (1997-2001) on January 29, 1996. Community support for school system facilities was again demonstrated on June 4, 1996 with the passage of a bond referendum for $250 million by a 79 percent majority vote. Projects deferred until the Phase IV period (2001-2005) increased the total estimate for Phase IV to $763,669,498.
1996
In November 1996, a state school bond referendum was approved by voters statewide, awarding an additional $123,297,205 to Wake County Schools. These monies were targeted to address building improvement needs, technology infrastructure, and ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) compliance through 2003; plus the opening of one new elementary school in 2000, one new middle school in 2002, and funding of 1/2 of one new high school by 2001. The first year funding of $11,831,970 was released in 1997. The second year’s funding of $17,688,733, was made available in the spring of 1998. Year three, totaling $36,727,808 became available in 1999 and the balance of $57,048,694 in the Year 2000.
1998
In recognition of the continuing shortfall in seats for students, the Wake County Board of Commissioners approved on March 9, 1998 an additional $27,400,000 to allow the opening of three additional elementary schools in the Year 2000. The Board of Education and Commissioners also agreed to begin funding for Phase IV in 1999 to allow additional new schools to open during the period 1999-2003.
Current plans are to develop an eight-year plan reporting capital building program needs for the period 1999-2007. Future building programs will address identified crowding for each area of the county, technology needs, and deferred maintenance and modernization needs for existing schools.
1999
Phase IV was developed to address overcrowding and the mounting deferred maintenance. The $938 million plan included 15 new schools, 58 existing school improvements, technology and other facilities needs. To fund Phase IV, Wake County Board of Commissioners and the Wake County Board of Education agreed on a $650 million bond referendum for June 8, 1999. Although Wake County is growing by 3,000 students each year, the public defeated the referendum.
Phase IIIB +: On June 21 the Wake County Board of Commissioners approved a 10-cent increase in the 63-cent property tax rate, per $100 property value. Eight cents of that money went towards school construction, and the remaining two cents towards operating costs. This generated approximately $67 million between 1999-2001. With the addition of the 1996 state bond program, totaling $123,297,205, this five-year period (1997-2002) received a total of $617,684,221 in funding.
2000
After the June 8, 1999 bond referendum was defeated, the Wake County Board of Commissioners and the Wake County Board of Education jointly announced the formation of a citizens advisory committee. Its charge was to study school needs, recommend an acceptable capital spending plan and make recommendations as it felt appropriate.
This committee, chaired by Jim Talton (retired managing partner of KPMG, LLP), consisted of 31 members, with Talton choosing 10, the Wake County Board of Education choosing 10, and the Wake County Board of Commissioners choosing 10 members. The Citizen's Advisory Committee for School Facilities Planning and Funding submitted their findings to the Wake County Board of Commissioners and the Board of Education on April 12, 2000. These recommendations were taken under consideration and a new PLAN 2000 building program was conceived and approved by the Board of Education September 1, 2000.
WCPSS has incorporated or is in the process
of incorporating 27 of the 28 recommendations, and as a result,
PLAN 2000 accomplishes these goals:
*Meets classroom needs first,
*Provides approximately 11,000 classroom seats,
*Reduces space standards,
*Uses more efficient construction methods and reuses existing
building plans,
*Opens more year-round schools, which makes the most of available
space and reduces new construction costs, and
*Does not raise taxes to build and improve schools.
PLAN 2000 (2001-04) includes 14 new schools, major improvements to 35 existing schools, and other buildings and grounds improvements for an additional 65 existing schools. On Nov. 7, 2000, voters overwhelmingly approved a $500 million bond issue. Wake County will sell up to $500 million in bonds to finance the $550 million school building program. The county will provide $50 million over the three years in "pay-as-you-go" (cash) funding to complete the total of $550 million.
PLAN 2004 (2004-08) included 14 new schools, 16 comprehensive renovations projects, and re-roofing and repair projects at 61 schools. On Oct. 7, 2003, 64 percent of Wake voters approved a $450 million bond issue. PLAN 2004 is funded with $450 million in bonds and $114 million in general revenues, savings from construction programs, state school construction funds, interest earnings, and other local funds. The total amount includes money for the 2005-06 Crowding Solution (three temporary modular elementary schools and 151 mobile/modular classrooms).
To cover cost escalation (due to unprecedented growth on top of existing overcrowding, a jump in the cost of construction materials, and the high volume of work in the Wake County market), the Board of Education reallocated construction funding from several PLAN 2004 projects to those of the highest priority, based on health and safety, life-cycle repairs, and capacity gains. Moving money from two new elementary schools (E17 and River Bend Elementary); the new pre-kindergarten center; and major renovations for Aversboro Elementary, Lynn Road Elementary and E. Millbrook Middle, means funding for these projects will be delayed until the next bond.
Now, PLAN 2004 includes 11 new schools, 13 comprehensive renovations and re-roofing and repair projects at 60 schools.
| Summary |
|||||
| Building Programs |
Timeframe
|
Bonds
|
Total
Funding
|
#
New Schools
|
#
Additions and Renovations
|
| Phase I |
(1985-1988)
|
$70M
|
$100M
|
5
|
14
|
| Phase II |
(1989-1993)
|
$125M
|
$200M
|
11
|
40
|
| Phase IIIA |
(1993-1997)
|
$150M
|
$300M
|
13
|
27
|
| Phase IIIB |
(1997-2001)
|
$250M
|
$400M
|
11
|
33
|
| State Bond |
(1997-2003)
|
N/A
|
$123.3M
|
2.5
|
13
|
| Phase IIIB+ |
(1997-2002)
|
--
|
$94.4M
|
3.5
|
7
|
| Plan 2000 |
(2001-2004)
|
$500M
|
$550M
|
14
|
35
|
| Plan 2004 | (2004-2008) |
$450M |
$564M* |
11 |
13 |
*Includes money for the 2005-06 Crowding Solution.