Orange County NC Website
Browse       Search
School Construction Standards <br />County /School Collaboration Work Group April 2007 Update <br />Orange County's current elementary and middle school construction standards have <br />been in place since 1996, and its high school standards since 1999. While these <br />standards have served as a model for many schools constructed in both the Chapel Hill - <br />Carrboro City and the Orange County Schools, it has become increasingly difficult to <br />adhere to the standards due to economic factors such as rising construction costs as <br />well as educational reforms such as changes in state mandated class sizes for <br />grades kindergarten through third. In addition, land use regulations and <br />environmental considerations that incorporate sustainable building components and <br />smart growth elements are becoming more prevalent in the construction industry. Two <br />separate School Facilities Task Forces, convened in 2000 and 2002, identified a <br />number of standards that required clarification and /or updating (e.g. baseline estimates <br />for per square foot cost, an appropriate inflation factor, percentage of project budget <br />that should be set aside for contingency, etc.). To that end, the Boards of County <br />Commissioners and Education recognized the need to update and refine Orange <br />County's current School Construction Standards, and last year requested that the <br />School /County Collaboration Work Group review existing School Construction <br />Standards with the intent of bringing them more in line with today's practices, <br />regulations, and construction market. <br />At the time that Orange Commissioners adopted the County's existing School <br />Construction Standards, the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction (NCDPI) <br />had Facilities Standards in place that established minimum construction criteria for <br />individual school districts to adhere to when they constructed new facilities or renovated <br />older ones. Since that time, the State has moved away from the "standards concept" <br />and now has "Facilities Guidelines" in place. <br />While the intent of the Guidelines remains consistent with the previously enacted State <br />Standards — to ensure that school systems provide adequate space for instructional <br />classes and activities — the Guidelines now allow for flexibility and allow for more <br />consideration of local situations such as availability of land or other limitations that <br />school districts may face. <br />The report that follows offers the Work Group's proposal. <br />191 <br />