Minutes: December 17, 1999
Facilitators and Attendance
Facilitating the meeting was George Alwon of The Raleigh Consulting Group, Inc
There were 18 members present. They are listed as follows:
| Name | Affiliation |
| Jim Talton | Chairman, Citizens Advisory Committee |
| Ann Rollins | PTA |
| Bob Beasley | Mallinckrodt |
| Brooks Gulledge | Residential Contractor |
| Chuck Fuller | Citizens for a Sound Economy |
| Diana Bader | PTA |
| Ferris Chandler | Retired, Cooper Tool |
| John Dornan | Public School Forum |
| John Hood | John Locke Foundation |
| Larry Dickens | DOT |
| Maebelle Hudson | Wake ACT |
| Nellie Tomlinson | Attorney, Womble Carlyle Sandridge & Rice |
| Randy Jones | Rhone-Poulenc In-House Attorney |
| Ross Rhudy | Raleigh/Wake Board of Realtors |
| Susan Fonville | PTA |
| Terry Yeargan | Bovis Construction Corp. |
| Tim McBrayer | Signature Publishing |
| Truman Newberry | Architect |
Those not present are as follows:
| Name | Affiliation | |
| Allen Jones | DJB Construction Group | |
| Blount Williams | Alfred Williams | |
| Bob Williams | Retired, NCSU | |
| Bynum Satterwhite | Wake Education Partnership | |
| Don Walston | Howard, Perry and Walston | |
| Dr. Edna Black | Education Management Consultant | |
| Forrest Ball | Real Estate | |
| Joe Sansom | State Treasurers Office | |
| Joe Whitehouse | CMS | |
| John Boling | SAS Institute, Inc. | |
| John Boylan | Spectrum Properties | |
| John Linderman | Grubb & Ellis | |
| Joyce Fennell | Teacher | |
| Renee Shaw | CCB |
Minutes
The minutes for the meeting of December 17, 1999 are as follows:
1. Chuck Fuller, of Citizens for a Sound Economy
Fuller gave some background information on the organization that stands for lower taxes and lean government. The group believes school needs can be taken care of without placing a significant burden on the community.
2. John Hood, president of The John Locke Foundation
Hood made a presentation on "School Facility Ideas and Poll Results." He spoke on the $938 million plan and how it was to be financed, revenue growth, costs per student, square footage comparisons, regional benchmarks, and voter opinion.
- Hood said Wake's costs were high because of the following: more non-classroom specifications and amenities, diseconomy of scale, larger classrooms, middle and high schools too large, higher cost per square foot due to scarce labor and materials, and poor means of managing construction process.
In regard to Wake County Schools being underfunded, he said that the local tax burden was lower than other counties but is still higher than in 1992.
- Hood also said that Wake County has a low expenditure per student, but that its spending is growing at a faster rate than other counties.
- The John Locke Foundation had a group conduct a poll this past Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, in which it polled 400 of those who voted this past June. About 76% would approve a bond without a tax hike. In ranking policy alternatives, three received clear support: better spending priorities, more year-round options, and more charters.
- Hood also presented five new ideas for meeting school facility needs:
- Capping - County should fix per-pupil maximum amounts and minimum standards and then reward systems and or private firms that come in below the cap.
- Leasing - School system should take bids from private companies willing to build, own, and operate new or renovated spaces that public schools would lease.
- Prioritization - Renovation projects should be ranked according to impact on classroom space and safety and be funded accordingly.
- Choice - WCPSS should open some new schools or magnet schools offering rigorous academics or year-round schedules but also fewer non-classroom amenities associated with traditional public schools.
- Charters - County and school system should seek legislation to authorize additional charter schools and provide limited capital funding and encourage them.
The Committee is going to meet January 7, 12-5 p.m., at the Koger Executive Center as a full group to discuss all of the information presented so far and then decide on the small groups. A meeting is tentatively scheduled for January 8, from 9 a.m.-12 p.m., if more time is needed.