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July 26 Meeting Summary


Wednesday, July 26, 2006
Wake County Commons, 1:30-4:30 p.m.

Highlights

  • Introduction of Co-Chairs, Committee Members, Staff, and Committee Consultant.
  • Review of Committee Charge
  • Overview of Wake County Facilities and Capital Plan
  • Overview of Wake County Public Schools and WCPSS CIP 2007-2009
  • Generation of Ideas for Committee Work Plan

Welcome and Introductions
Tony Gurley, Chair of the Wake County Board of Commissioners and Patti Head, Chair of the Wake County Board of Education welcomed committee members and thanked them for agreeing to serve. Commissioner Gurley and Ms. Head then introduced the Co-Chairs of the Citizens Facilities Advisory Committee, Billie Redmond and John Mabe. Committee members, committee staff, and the committee consultant made further introductions.

Committee Charge
Committee Co-Chair John Mabe then reviewed the committee charge with the committee members. In reviewing the charge, Mr. Mabe clarified that the nature of the committee’s work is long-term, and will look at Wake County and Wake County Public School facilities. However, the initial focus of the committee is to look at school facilities. Mr. Mabe asked the committee to look at the functions included in the committee charge. He then indicated his interest in soliciting feedback from committee members on what functions listed in the committee charge they consider most important.

Mr. Mabe stated that the committee is tasked to communicate its findings. The Committee will issue quarterly reports to both the Board of Commissioners and the Board of Education. In addition, a web site will be developed where the committee will post its preliminary findings. Mr. Mabe also stated his hopes for a list serve so public comment may be solicited.

Overview of Wake County Facilities and Capital Plan
Johnna Rogers, Wake County Budget and Management Services Director, presented to the committee an overview of Wake County facilities and the County’s Community Improvement Plan (CIP). To introduce the different functions of the County, Ms. Rogers presented the County’s FY07 Budget, including operating and capital expenditures. Of these dollars, 46% is devoted to education, 19% for human services, 9% for public safety, 7% for general government and administration, 4% for community development, and 1% for environmental services. In addition, 10% is devoted to debt service.

Ms. Rogers then segued into discussing Wake County’s facilities. Included in the presentation was a description of the vast differences in the types of facilities operated by the County, including offices, jails, libraries and parks. Ms. Rogers explained that Wake County Facilities, Design and Construction is the entity responsible for planning and implementing the CIP, managing construction projects, and providing real estate services for the County. Wake County General Services Administration provides overall facility maintenance and maintains building assets, life safety systems and infrastructure for the County.

An overview of the County’s $3.57 billion, seven-year Community Improvement Plan (CIP) was then presented. Ms. Rogers outlined the seven priorities of the County CIP, then noted that the first four represents where Wake County concentrates its money and efforts.

Wake County’s CIP is primarily funded by debt (81%), transfers in or ad valorem tax (16%) and other sources (3%). Of the $3.57 billion CIP, $3.43 billion is devoted to facilities, which are the facilities for education, criminal justice, county buildings, libraries, parks and recreation, and a planned inpatient psychiatric hospital. Of the dollars devoted to facilities in the County’s CIP, education receives more than 84 percent. The next highest category of funding is criminal justice, at 13.5 percent.

Finally, Ms. Rogers provided an overview of the County components of the CIP. She presented information on the criminal justice element, the County buildings element, libraries, parks and recreation, and funds designated for an inpatient psychiatric hospital.

In responding to questions raised by committee members, the following information will be brought back to committee members: a breakout of the County’s FY07 General Fund and Capital budget; detail of the County’s maintenance budget within the operating fund and the value of the County’s capital facilities; additional information on the County’s criminal justice master plan including inflation estimates and the projected life of the Wake County court house; and a list of non-traditional building assets held by the County.

Overview of Wake County Public School System and WCPSS CIP 2007-2009
Don Haydon, Chief Facilities and Operations Officer, then provided an overview of the Wake County Public School System and WCPSS CIP 2007-2009. Mr. Haydon introduced Superintendent Burns’ four points of focus for WCPSS: 1) focus on teaching and learning; 2) retention, recruitment, and training of high quality employees; 3) systems and structures to support schools, ensure accountability, and engage community; and 4) fiscal accountability. In addition, Mr. Haydon presented data regarding WCPSS high school drop-outs, and End-of-Grade and End-of-Course tests scores.

Data was also presented regarding what WCPSS looks like today; enrollment is projected at more than 127,500 students for Fall 2006 in 147 schools, of which 20 are on a year-round calendar. WCPSS special education students are around 14.1 percent, its free and reduced lunch population is projected around 30 percent for Fall 2006, and ESL students are around 5 percent.

The presentation addressed WCPSS’ facility portfolio, which includes 518 buildings on 145 campuses, for more than 18.5 million square feet of buildings. WCPSS maintains 3,569 acres of land. Mr. Haydon presented WCPSS’ current facility challenges, and discussed the system’s rapid enrollment growth. In regards to student enrollment growth, Mr. Haydon discussed how OR/Ed Lab at NC State are breaking the County into planning parcels and are projecting a growth potential, so WCPSS planners can better locate where to build new schools. Mr. Haydon also addressed building utilization and the use of mobile and modular classrooms. WCPSS utilization goal is 95%; current utilization is 102 percent. Currently 17 percent of students (24 percent of elementary) are housed in temporary classrooms while the goal is no more than 8 percent in mobile and modular classrooms. Mr. Haydon also addressed the impact of overcrowding, which he stated included long lines, lunch at 10:15, less individual attention, loss of instructional time, safety, distractions and perhaps a negative impact on academic performance.

Mr. Haydon also discussed WCPSS’ planned renovation cycle, renovation needs projected over the next ten years, and presented the amount of square feet added by decade. WCPSS factors in environmental health, safety, accessibility, space for instruction, more classroom time, day-lighting in its renovations with the thought that these areas have a positive impact on student performance.

Mr. Haydon then turned his efforts towards presenting WCPSS’ 2007-2009 CIP. The CIP for 2007-2010 will provide space to accommodate a 35% increase in enrollment by 2010 and make some progress on renovation needs. $675.6 million is devoted towards new schools and $320.2 million is devoted towards existing facilities. The CIP calls for a gain of 3,000 elementary school seats by conversion to year-round calendar for 2007 and the gain of 2,000 middle seats by conversion or new mobile/modular units.

The CIP 2007-2009 calls for 17 new schools, 11 new year-round elementary schools, 4 new year-round middle schools, and 2 new high schools. It also funds 6 ninth grade centers and purchases land for 13 more schools in future CIPs. The CIP also funds 13 major renovation projects, life-cycle replacements, technology replacements, relocation of mobile classrooms, and the implementation of year-round conversion. It funds facilities assessments, off-site infrastructure costs, food services warehouse addition, furniture and equipment, environmental and ADA projects, and design start-up for future CIPs.

Finally, Mr. Haydon discussed school construction challenges, including construction cost inflation, more scarce and more expensive land, buffers, trees, and wetlands, car pool lanes and off-site roads, and project time lines. Mr. Haydon presented data that WCPSS actual school construction costs are less expensive than the DPI statewide average, but school site development costs are more expensive than the statewide average. Mr. Haydon discussed the use of prototypes, using alternative school sites, longer-range planning, new real estate initiatives, private/public partnerships, construction manager at-risk, life cycle costing, and value engineering to face school construction challenges.

In responding to questions raised by committee members, the following information will be brought back to committee members: what percentage of families are coming here without school age children and whether that percentage is increasing or decreasing; a map that shows the location of exiting schools; the maintenance cost per square foot of a mobile and modular facility; the operating costs for a year-round school; and specific budgets for projects included in the CIP. Generation of Ideas for Committee Work Plan.

Staff suggested to the committee that a possible first task for the committee’s consultant would be to conduct a comprehensive study to compare Wake County costs to other districts to see how the County stands. This exercise would break down different elements and look at specific cost components. Committee members stressed that it is important to have an "apples to apples" comparison and expressed an interest in sharing information collected with other counties. In addition to the counties suggested by staff, the committee requested adding Travis County, Texas.

Committee members then brainstormed questions and topics they would like the committee to address as follows:

  1. Impact of academic program requirements on building design
  2. Understand the cost of what WCPSS has and what is currently being built, then discuss possible changes
  3. Understand the WCPSS cost model
  4. Costs of newly opened school and planned future schools
  5. Understand what we’re building and why
  6. Field trips to other systems
  7. Understand components of planning, design, and construction
  8. Understand the program for building – the how and the why
  9. Generate a product before November
  10. Understand CIP 2007-2009
  11. Benchmarking
  12. What does WCPSS do, are they doing it right, who is in charge of facilities, what resources do they have?
  13. Understand quality control and budget oversight already at WCPSS and Wake County

Ms. Redmond then summarized the brainstorming session and asked staff for three items to be brought back to the committee for the next meeting: an overview of WCPSS’ facilities planning and construction processes; an overview of WCPSS current construction programs; and a template of various cost components to be used in the comprehensive comparison of Wake County school construction costs to other districts.

Staff then stated that a draft committee work plan, with topics assigned to particular meeting days, would also be brought forward to the committee for affirmation at its next meeting.

Mr. Mabe then asked that committee members to e-mail him and to indicate if there were particular areas they would like to be involved in so that subcommittees could be established.

Closing Comments
It was decided that future meetings of the Citizens’ Facilities Advisory Committee would be held on the fourth Wednesday of the month, with the next meeting scheduled for 4:30 p.m. on August 23, 2006.

Patti Head, Wake County Board of Education Chair, and Harold Webb, Wake County Board of Commissioners Vice Chair, addressed the committee and thanked them for their work and comments at the days meeting.

The meeting adjourned at 4:15 p.m.