Does Wake have long-range plans?
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A: Yes, Wake is planning for the future. In fall 2004, WCPSS contracted with N.C. State University's Operations Research and Education Laboratory to create an analytical, data-driven process that incorporates land use and future developments into determining the best locations for new schools. This will be a continuous long-range school and community planning process involving WCPSS, Wake County government, the 12 municipalities, and the Capital Area Municipal Planning Organization, with the Lab coordinating updates. The new method improves upon the current system by incorporating municipal planning data and projections into school and infrastructure planning, adding GIS technology and operations research methodologies, and projecting school sites beyond a three- or four-year bond cycle.
In spring 2006, the Lab provided enrollment projections, broken down into approximately 39 geographic planning regions across the county, through 2010; these projections reflect the municipalities' data on land use plans and future developments. The Lab is also working with WCPSS to construct an optimization model to generate target areas for school site land banking. The Lab will provide target areas, or circles, for new school locations, as well as student population growth by geographic planning regions, through 2025.