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Rfz q. o..cij <br /> A +Zi i / <br /> CHAPEL HILL-CARRBORO CITY SCHOOLS <br /> Lincoln Center, Merritt Mill Road <br /> Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27516 <br /> Telephone: (919) 967-8211 <br /> Neil G. Pedersen Ann Hart, Assistant Superintendent <br /> Superintendent for Instructional Services <br /> Chester Preyar, Assistant Superintendent <br /> for Support Services <br /> TO: County Commissioners <br /> County Manager <br /> FROM: Neil G. Pederse <br /> Superintendent <br /> RE: Additional Background Information on the Proposed <br /> New Elementary School <br /> DATE: September 15, 1994 <br /> When we met with you on September 6, 1994, several questions were <br /> raised to which we would like to respond. Additionally, we will provide <br /> information about issues that you and others have raised since that time. <br /> 1. Why is the building larger than the average elementary school <br /> in North Carolina? <br /> The specifications for this school, as well as McDougle Middle School, <br /> were developed in 1991 by a committee composed primarily of professional <br /> educators in the district. The process was exciting for the participants who <br /> spent a full week in an effort to define the activities in which students and staff <br /> engage in an effective school so that the architects could design a facility to <br /> meet these needs. The first draft generated an elementary school with 150,000 <br /> square feet and, I can assure you, the participants all believed it was justified. <br /> We knew that this was unaffordable, however, and over the course of several <br /> more iterations, the size was reduced to 111,000 square feet. Last year, after <br /> meetings with the non-binding task force, the committee was reconvened and <br /> the size was reduced to approximately 98,000 square feet. Rooms such as the <br /> computer lab and the dance or creative movement room were eliminated. <br /> What does this school have that most others don't. We previously <br /> provided for your reference a comparison between the proposed school and the <br /> Basic Education Plan standards. The major differences are as follows: <br /> a. All K-3 classrooms are built to the same specifications as a <br /> kindergarten room to maximize flexibility. This would allow classroom clusters <br /> (groups of four classrooms) to be organized in several different configurations: <br />