The 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.
October 26, 2005
BOARD APPROVES SOLUTION FOR 2006-07 SCHOOL CROWDING
At its meeting Oct. 18, the Board of Education approved a proposal to provide
additional school capacity to meet the tremendous increase in students.
Student enrollment grew by more than 6,400 students this year and by more
than 16,000 in the last three years.
As part of the school construction program, Barwell Road Elementary, Brier Creek Elementary, Carpenter Year-round Elementary, Holly Springs High and Panther Creek High were the new schools originally scheduled to open in 2006-07.
To provide additional classroom seats for next year, the Board of Education approved at its Oct. 18 meeting opening two more elementary schools and designating those plus Brier Creek and Barwell Road as year-round. Holly Grove Elementary students and staff will begin a year early in space at Holly Springs High School (opens with ninth and 10th grades) while the permanent elementary school is being constructed. Similarly, E-19 or North Forest Pines Drive will start early in the modular complex on Spring Forest Road.
To further take advantage of available space at the new high schools, rising ninth- and 10th-graders will be expected to attend their newly assigned school. In addition, WCPSS will retain East Cary Middle as a ninth grade center for another year, add another eight-classroom modular unit to the Wakefield High campus, and add up to 95 mobile/modular classroom units system wide.
BOARD APPROVES 2005-2006 CAPACITY REPORT
At its Oct. 18 meeting, the Board of Education approved the 2005-06 Capacity
Report. Under current standards, a traditional calendar elementary school
has capacity for 655 students and a year-round school has capacity for 791.
Traditional calendar middle schools have planned capacity for 981 and year-round
for 1,293. High schools have capacity for 1,663. This standard assumes elementary
schools will have 39 teaching spaces, middle schools 60 teaching spaces
and high schools 83 teaching spaces. The school building capacity is calculated
for each school using standard, magnet or year-round capacity models for
the varying grade levels, student to teacher ratios and supplemental program
offerings. The School Building Capacity for each school may be revised yearly
to reflect changes in the facilities, capacity models, student to teacher
ratios and standards for supplemental program offerings. The report indicates
the percent of students in permanent seats has dropped to 79.4 percent this
year from a high of 89.1 percent in 2000. The average number of mobiles
per campus has increased to 7.4 this year from 4.4 in 2000. Student enrollment
increased to 120,507 this year compared with 97,583 in 2000.
BOARD APPROVES CAPACITY MODEL FOR NEXT BUILDING PROGRAM
At its Oct. 18 meeting, the Board of Education approved capacity models
to be used for the development of the next building program. The revisions
to the capacity models include an elementary school model that provides
the best efficiencies for year round. Under this new capacity proposal benefiting
year-round elementary schools, the large model traditional calendar elementary
school would have capacity for 800 and the large model year-round calendar
elementary school would have capacity for 1,124. Under the proposed standards,
a standard-sized, traditional calendar elementary school would have capacity
for 655 students and a year-round school would have capacity for 843. Traditional
calendar middle schools would have planned capacity for 981 and year-round
for 1,293. High schools would have capacity for 1,663. This standard assumes
elementary schools will have 39 teaching spaces, middle schools 60 teaching
spaces and high schools 83 teaching spaces.
BOARD AWARDS CONTRACT FOR SANFORD CREEK ELEMENTARY (E-14)
At its Oct. 18 meeting, the Board of Education awarded a single-prime
contract to DeVere Construction Company, Inc. in the amount of $16,165,000
for the construction of the new 655-student capacity Sanford Creek Elementary
(E-14). . The project was bid in conjunction with E9/E12. The bidders had
the option to bid both projects together or separately. The lowest cost
was for the same contractor to construct E9/E12 and E14. The award price
of $16,165,000 for E14, when combined with the award price of E9/E12, equals
the total amount bid for all three schools. The total project budget of
$19,067,446 will be partially funded from the PLAN 2004 School Building
Program and will require a future reallocation of $5,223,285 to fully fund
the project.
BOARD AWARDS CONTRACT FOR E9 AND E12 ELEMENTARIES ON FOREST PINES DRIVE
At its Oct. 18 meeting, the Board of Education awarded a single-prime contract
to DeVere Construction Company, Inc. in the amount of $31,918,000 for the
construction of two 655-student capacity schools on Forest Pines Drive.
The project was bid in conjunction with Sanford Creek (E-14). The bidders
had the option to bid both projects together or separately. The lowest cost
was for the same contractor to construct E9/E12 and E14. The award price
of $31,918,000 for E9/E12, when combined with the award price of E14, equals
the total amount bid for all three schools. The total project budget of
$37,763,288 will be partially funded from the PLAN 2004 School Building
Program and will require a future reallocation of $9,870,682 to fully fund
the project.
BOARD APPROVES NAME FOR NEW SCHOOL
At its Oct. 18 meeting, the Board of Education named the second of the two
schools that will be located on Forest Pines Drive in Raleigh. On Dec. 20,
2004, the Board of Education approved a contract to acquire approximately
20 acres of land on Forest Pines Drive, Raleigh. This is the location for
E-9, which was named Forest Pines Drive Elementary School at the Feb. 15,
2005 board meeting. Since that time, it has been determined that E-12 will
also be located on that site. The board agreed to keep the current name
of Forest Pines Drive Elementary for the school that opened this year in
a temporary modular campus in Wake Forest. The board agreed to name the
second school at the site, earlier known as E12, as North Forest Pines Elementary.
The permanent facilities on Forest Pines Drive should be ready for the opening
of the 2007-08 school year.
BOARD AWARDS CONTRACT FOR CARNAGE MIDDLE ROOFING JOB
At its Oct. 18 meeting, the Board of Education awarded a single-prime contract
to Owens Roofing, Inc. in the amount of $133,217.00 for the partial roof
replacement at Carnage Middle School. The project will be funded from the
PLAN 2004 School Building Program.
BOARD APPROVES CONSTRUCTION DOCUMENTS FOR HOLLY GROVE ELEMENTARY (E-18)
At its Oct. 18 meeting, the Board of Education approved the construction
documents for Holly Grove Elementary (E-18), a two-story, 768-student capacity
elementary school located on the Holly Springs High site. This is the first
use of this prototype.
-wcpss-
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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