Wake Commissioner Weighs in on School Funding Crisis (NC)
January 27, 2011
Faced with the potential of a $3.7 billion budget deficit at the State level, the Department of Public Instruction, the press and citizens have made numerous proposals how the K-12 public education system could react. These changes fall into two broad categories: 1. trim expenses for teaching and learning, and 2.raise revenues by delaying the sunset of added taxes adopted as an emergency measure.
In Wake County, support for educational expenses has been tight-fisted for years.The County’s schools already rank 85th of 115 school systems in the State in per pupil support of education…in a state that ranks 42ndin the nation and is headed lower. Administrative costs are among the lowest int he State. Any further tightening that would not hurt education should be pursued – but it is hard to believe this approach can have a big impact.
Whatever the NC General Assembly does about the sales tax is out of local control and will not be known until after the County Board of Commissioners must vote on a balanced budget in June. While there is much room for compromise, the most realistic option is tax revenues will be down over $100 million in Wake.
This describes the proverbial “between a rock and a hard spot”. But there is a way out, i.e. redu ce the construction budget for schools and put the savings into the classroom where they are most needed. Here are four ways to accomplish that.
1. Raise the occupancy level for all schools. Over 30 schools have excess campus capacity for mobile or modular units. In some cases two schools could be combined into one, leaving the other for growth. Another option is to combine under-utilized elementary and middle schools. These changes should be restrained by excessive travel times. A plan from the BOE is needed. Thousands of seats are candidates.
2. If new school capacity is needed, it should be built as “modular” schools. There are various categories of modular construction, but WCPSS has experience with six classroom modules that cost about 20% of standard construction – saving $20 thousand per seat. Specifically, the $72 million cost for a new high school in Rolesville could be delayed or trimmed by building five modular, ninth grade centers or additions onto existing middle school and high school campuses. This alone would save over $60 million – including over $20 million in cash (400 teachers)which could be put back into the classroom. Another option would be to right-size Rolesville high with a smaller school that would reflect the low population in the area. Using the smaller Heritage prototype could save as much as $10 million in construction and minimize difficulties in filling this remote school. Longer term, advanced modular construction should be explored as are placement for permanent construction (see http://www.anastoseng.com/aea/modular.html )
3. Restore the savings of year round schools by offering popular, specialized courses (e.g. foreign languages) for tracks parents now avoid.
4. Athletic facilities in planned new schools have grown to as many as 11 fields for a proposed elementary school. Not only does the land cost about $50 thousand per acre,coaching and maintenance compete for scarce dollars with teachers and academics. Putting a football stadium in every high school costs $2.1 million.The BOE should form a task force to recommend modifications to the program(e.g. shared facilities) or recovering the full cost with pay-to-play fees.
Many of these steps will be painful. Wake parents need to decide whether or not preparing their children’s for the increasing academic demands of the real world is more important than the likely added minutes on a bus, overcrowded campuses or another reassignment. Do parents prefer under-prepared children,over-burdened teachers and sharply limited computers and texts to the inconveniences suggested above? Without parent guidance and support these stepscannot succeed.