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