School Construction Report
Goal 2008: WCPSS is committed to academic excellence. By 2008, 95 percent of students in grades 3 through 12 will be at or above grade level as measured by the State of North Carolina End-of-Grade or Course tests, and all student groups will demonstrate high growth.
September 9, 2005
TENTH DAY ENROLLMENT
The tenth-day enrollment numbers have just come in. As of September 8, WCPSS
has 120,379 students enrolled. That's an increase of 6,425 students from
last year's tenth-day number.
NEW DEMOGRAPHIC RESOURCE CENTER PROVIDES DETAILS
Charts in the new WCPSS Demographic Resource Center at wcpss.net help describe
the growth of student enrollment at WCPSS. One chart shows the number of
students increasing about 4,000 a year between 1996 and 1998; about 3,000
between 1999 and 2002 and by about 5,000 for 2003-04 and 2004-05. You can
find the chart at http://www.wcpss.net/demographics/projections/images/comparison-proj-actual.pdf
(Requires Adobe Acrobat to view).
BOARD AND COMMISSIONERS DISCUSS MANAGING GROWTH
Discussions between the Wake County Board of Commissioners and Board of
Education have led to a proposed November 2006 school construction referendum.
Commissioners and board members will continue to meet to discuss planning
assumptions for the next building program.
WCPSS PREPARING MOBILES AND MODULARS FOR SCHOOLS
To help accommodate tremendous student enrollment, Wake is adding approximately
three times as many mobile and modular classrooms in 2005-06 as in recent
years. Despite a tight schedule, WCPSS opened all three modular campuses,
two modular complexes and 37 single mobile units; plus, completed two new
schools, eight major renovations and 16 system wide improvement projects
for the first day of school. Another modular complex and four single units
were ready the following week.
The school system is working diligently to open another eight modulars and nine mobile classrooms by the end of the month. The kitchen/dining and multi-purpose areas at Harris Creek Elementary at Spring Forest Road should be finalized this month as well. In the meantime, the school is having lunches brought over from Millbrook High School.
The modular schools took priority over the other classroom units. A shortage of manpower - the same contractors were working on the modular schools, complexes and mobile units - coupled with the shear volume of work meant not all the classroom units were ready for the start of school.
Preliminary designations were made in October 2004. Orders and production schedules for the modular campuses were placed. Production of the remaining 11 modular complexes and 25 single units were finalized Spring 2005.
The 151 mobile/modular classrooms and three modular schools make up the $31.1 million 2005-06 Crowding Solution budget. The project is on budget.
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The School Construction Report is published electronically every other week for everyone interested in the Wake County Public School System. Is what you read in this edition helpful? What information would you like to see in future editions? Contact me by calling 850-1829 or e-mailing bposton@wcpss.net.
Bill Poston
Wake County Public School System
Communications Department
3600 Wake Forest Road
Raleigh, North Carolina 27611
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