Agenda - 11-17-1998 - 10b - Laserfiche WebLink

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Technical Report 10 since locally adopted service standards for public schools did not exist, and the use of "local averages" was a case of historical circumstance rather than a clear decision on what standards were best for the county. In May 1995, an eight member group known as the School Facility Construction Standards Work Group began work on developing school construction standards for both school districts. Comprised of two representatives from the Board of County Commissioners, two representatives from each of the two School Boards, and two parent representatives, the Work Group sponsored a workshop in October 1995 to educate its members and the general public on school construction issues, including education program requirements, state facility standards, facilities management cost, and effective school design. Following the workshop, the two school systems, working together and with their architects, proposed elementary and middle school facilities based on recently constructed projects. These facilities were compared to the N.C. Department of Public Instruction guidelines and used to define a basic school and three tiers. While the basic school standard generally followed the state guidelines, the three tiers addressed the following concerns: • Additional staff work space and conference room space (Tier 1); • Space for after- school programs (Tier 2); and • Space for additional storage, staff support areas, student common areas, and project/team rooms (Tier 3). In January 1996, a public hearing was held on the basic school and additional tiers. Subsequently, the Work Group adopted the standards for the Middle School, including all space through Tier Three, or 132,192 square feet. The standards for the Elementary School included the basic school, plus additional space for after- school use and storage. The overall size of the facility was reduced from the original proposal by 4,000 square feet to 95,225 square feet. This reduction was primarily in space for additional workrooms and conference rooms. Because there are no long -range plans for the construction of a new high school in the county, the Work Group did not address high school facility standards. The report of the School Facilities Construction Standards Work Group was submitted to the Chapel Hill - Carrboro Board of Education and to the Orange County Board of Education for comment. Following receipt of their comments and the Work Group's report, the Board of County Commissioners adopted a slightly modified set of school standards in May, 1996. The action of the Board of Commissioners combined the Tier 1 standards with those of the "basic school" to form a new set of basic school standards. Tiers 2 and 3 were retained but labeled Tiers A and B. The adopted standards are shown in Appendix A. To determine how the adopted standards compared to existing facilities, all public schools in the county were surveyed to identify building area, land area, and capacity characteristics. "Local