Orange County NC Website
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structures into contemporary school programs -older schools with wood framing are <br />often automatically treated as unsafe. In North Carolina, such schools are placed in a <br />category that can disqualify them for building maintenance funds. <br />Compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) should be <br />considered a given for any school renovation project. But experience has shown that <br />carefully planned ramps, elevators, and lifts can successfully address the majority of <br />handicapped accessibility issues. These items should not prevent the continued use of <br />existing school buildings, particularly since the installation of "accessibility features" <br />normally represents a small percentage of a school renovation budget. <br />_ ..... _ . _ In .general, it is wise for school districts and school renovation advocates to retain .... .. _ <br />:._ <br />consultants experienced in renovation and code compliance alternatives to assist in the <br />architectural. evaluation of a school. <br />TRANSPORTATION COSTS: TIME AND MONEY <br />• The costs of busing children longer distances as a result of building schools in remote <br />locations are sometimes ignored, even though these costs can be substantial. In <br />Maine, for example, between 1970 and 1995, the number of students statewide <br />declined by 27,000. During this same period, however, school busing costs rose from <br />$8.7 million to over $54 million.27 <br />• "I rode the bus to school with the children. Four-year-olds involved in a special pre- <br />school program -- and five- and six-year olds -they were getting up before 7:00 a.m. <br />far a long, 4S-minute bus ride. They didn't return unti14:30 p.m. That's a long day <br />far small children. They were exhausted. They were sleeping to and from school" - <br />- Rachel Southworth of Sadieville, Ky, which lost its elementary schoal to a newly <br />developing area several years ago. <br />22 <br />