Agenda - 09-13-2022; 2 - School Capital Needs Work Group Final Report

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■ lacking natural light, 7 ■ having air quality challenges, including mold ■ not having flexible spaces, e.g. for break-out rooms ■ having small classrooms ■ not meeting modern safety standards including having modular classrooms and open classrooms ■ having heating and cooling system failures, o Our aging school buildings are energy inefficient and expensive to maintain. • Facility Maintenance o OCS and CHCCS are challenged to recruit and retain facilities staff due to the high demand for those occupations and the relatively low salaries that are offered by the school systems. The pandemic has made these challenges worse. o Material costs and delays have increased due to the pandemic. o Cost and timing efficiencies may be possible by coordinating the capital and maintenance expenditures of OCS and CHCCS. o Major capital projects like new construction and major renovations require time commitments that school facility staff may not have and so these projects may benefit from contracted construction professionals that can be part of the capital budget. o There are no standards or funding for ongoing school maintenance. Policy/Funding o Capital school funding is impacted by BOCC guidelines that limit total (county and schools) debt capacity to about 15 percent of general revenues o The target to maintain total school funding (capital debt service, PAYGO, and operations) at 48.1% of the county's general revenue constrains school capital spending given other school needs. o Policies have not been developed for how much money needs to be allocated for on-going maintenance needs. Looking at other industries would be helpful to inform policy for school facilities. o There is no county-wide plan to land bank for future school needs. o State funding sources have not kept up with the school capital needs. Historically, from the late 1940s, North Carolina voters approved state obligation bonds on average every 10 years to help counties with school construction projects. They have not done so since 1996. RECOMMENDATIONS • Hire a consultant to evaluate the county's approach to school capital planning, design, contracting, and financing including: o Examine the planning, design/build, and maintenance process for both school districts and identify areas for improvement. o Work with school districts to evaluate every school campus and administrative building and highlight those that should be urgently replaced or renovated o Evaluate the county's school capital funding approach o Identify ways to plan and fund ongoing school maintenance. 5