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 28, 2006
TENTH DAY ENROLLMENT INCREASES BY 7,400
The Wake County Public School System had 127,767 students on the 10th day
of school this year, compared to 120,379 at the same time last year. Enrollment
has already jumped by almost 7,400.
Day 10
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Enrollment at 11 elementary schools is already above 900 and enrollment at three schools has surpassed 1,000: Wakefield has 1,109 students; West Lake has 1075; and Durant has 1,001.
There are 10 middle schools with enrollment over 1,100, and five schools have more than 1,200 students: West Lake has 1,343; Wakefield has 1,290; Holly Ridge has 1,286; Leesville has 1,258; and Heritage has 1,246.
Nine high schools are serving more than 2,000 students and three have more then 2,300 students: Enloe has 2,478; Wakefield has 2,355; and Leesville has 2,341.
Most existing elementary, middle and high schools were built to serve 600, 900 and 1,600 students respectively.
At some overcrowded schools, teachers are holding class in closets and workrooms, and aren't always able to give students the individual attention they need. Crowding can also translate to lunch beginning soon after the school day begins, long lines at bathrooms, and temporary classrooms taking over playfields and parking lots. Losing 15 minutes a day to unnecessary time waiting in lines adds up to seven and a half days of lost instruction.
WCPSS is entering a six-year period in which the district is projected to grow by 7,000 to 9,000 students each year.
CITIZENS' FACILITIES ADVISORY COMMITTEE MEETS
The Citizens' Facilities Advisory Committee (CFAC) met Sept. 26 at Panther
Creek High, where the group reviewed the planning assumptions for the new
building program and toured the new high school facility.
Billie Redmond and John Mabe, CFAC co-chairs, gave an update on the committee's progress to a joint meeting of the Board of Education and Board of County Commissioners Sept. 20.
The Wake County Commissioners and Wake Board of Education created jointly created CFAC in June 2006 to evaluate the county and school system building programs, with the initial focus being on school design criteria, construction management and delivery methods. The county hired DeJong & Associates, an education facility consulting firm, in partnership with Summit Consultants, a facility cost estimating firm, to serve as consultants to the committee.
CFAC's first assignment for the consultants is to perform detailed data analysis on programs and construction, ranging from square footage and class ratios to requirements to materials' costs, construction and site work. The process will involve surveying school planning, educational programming, and construction costs of five schools districts across the nation and four within North Carolina.
The consultants will make site visits and interview staffs between September and November. The school districts include: Travis County (Austin), TX; Clark County (Las Vegas), NV; Fairfax County (DC Suburb), VA; Gwinnett County (Atlanta Suburb), GA; Orange County (Orlando), FL; Forsyth, NC; Guilford, NC; and Mecklenburg, NC. These districts were chosen because they are national peer counties, school systems that WCPSS uses as comparable districts, or they are N.C. counties that are often compared to Wake.
BOARD APPROVES THREE MIDDLE SCHOOLS CHANGING TO YEAR-ROUND
At its meeting Sept. 19, the Board of Education approved transitioning three
middle schools -- North Garner, East Wake and Salem -- to the multi-track
year-round calendar in 2007-08 to provide calendar continuity for families
and to provide additional classroom seats.
The decision came after the board reviewed feedback from a public hearing,
online comments, e-mails, phone calls, and work sessions. During its Committee
of the Whole meeting, the school board removed Wakefield and Leesville middle
from the potential list of schools to transition to year-round in 2007-08.
They removed Wakefield Middle because there are already two year-round middle
schools in the area, Durant Road and Heritage. The board removed Leesville
Middle because the three main elementary schools that feed into it are on
the traditional calendar.
In addition, the board reached consensus on making an additional accommodation
for families: Rising seventh and eighth graders at existing year-round middle
schools whose base school transitions to year-round may stay at their current
school.
BOARD APPROVES SCHEMATIC DESIGN FOR AVERSBORO ELEMENTARY
At its meeting Sept. 19, the Board of Education approved the schematic design
documents prepared by Ramsay GMK for the construction of a replacement school
on the existing site at Aversboro Elementary. The total proposed project
budget is $21,136,772, of which $978,228 is from the PLAN 2004 School Building
Program and $20,158,544 is from the next building program.
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BOARD APPROVES PROPERTY CONVEYANCE AGREEMENT FOR E-22/M10
site of approximately 30 acres in the same vicinity. This contract is supplemental to the original agreement entered by the Board of Education on February 7, 2006, with the primary change being the location of the land identified for school use within the larger tract currently owned by Town of Cary. Estimated land cost for the elementary school site is zero, as the land for the elementary school site is being donated by the Town of Cary pursuant to a Memorandum of Understanding previously entered into by the parties. Panther Creek-Raleigh Limited Partnership will provide to the Wake County Board of Education the sum of $5.5 million towards the construction of an elementary school upon the site. As to future implications, when the option for the middle school site is exercised at any time prior to the end of 2011, the cost of 30 acres at $21,225 per acre will be approximately $636,750 at the time of acquisition of the property. BOARD APPROVES CHANGE ORDER FOR E-22 |
BOARD HEARS NAME PROPOSED FOR NEW MIDDLE SCHOOL (M-5)
At its meeting Sept 19, the Board of Education received a recommendation
from staff that the middle school planned near Wendell will be named Wendell
Middle School. The board will vote on a name for the new school at its next
meeting.
In 2004, staff located and acquired a site for a school building in the area of the target ring known as M-5 that is scheduled for completion in 2009. The school is slated to begin operation in the 2007-08 school year in the existing modular facility on the site, until the permanent school is completed. The site fronts on NC 97 Highway in the Wendell area, just north of Wendell Boulevard, in Mark's Creek Township. It is adjacent to a neighborhood known as Rothgeb Subdivision and across the street from a mobile home community known as Bridgegate Estates.
After discussions with the Town of Wendell, a review of the file documentation associated with the acquisition of the site, and reviewing the town's early input and involvement in the planning process, staff recommended the school be named Wendell Middle.
BOARD APPROVES CONSTRUCTION DOCUMENTS FOR WAKEFIELD 9TH GRADE CENTER
At its meeting Sept. 19, the Board of Education approved the construction
documents for the conversion of an existing grocery store into the Wakefield
High 9th Grade Center. Funding is available in the overall 2007 Crowding
Solution project budget of $7,896,677, of which the budget for this conversion
in PLAN 2004 funding is $6,486,327. The funding for the outfitting of the
school is provided in the next building program.
BOARD APPROVES BARWELL INTERLOCAL AGREEMENT
At its Sept 19 meeting, the Board of Education approved an interlocal agreement
with Wake County and the City of Raleigh for the recently opened Barwell
Road Elementary School.
Wake County Government, the City of Raleigh, and the Board of Education worked together for the development of a school and adjacent park on Barwell Road. The county, city and board jointly planned the development of the recreational facilities. The board prepared the master plan for the project to include a community center, gymnasiums, additional parking, access roads, and associated infrastructure approved and funded by the city and county. The board provided supervision for the construction of the school and the additional recreational improvements funded by the county and city. The county and city are responsible for the construction costs of the recreational improvements as well as the design costs associated with those improvements. The county will contribute up to $250,000 to the city towards the design and construction costs of the recreational improvements and the city is contributing $7,755,173 towards the design and construction costs of the recreational improvements in accordance with the approved master plan. The city is also responsible for change orders associated with their portion of the project. The county's execution of an interlocal agreement was pending the successful drafting of a joint use agreement. The joint use agreement was approved by the Board of Education on August 22, 2006.
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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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