Agenda 12-12-23; 7-a - Discussion on School and County Capital Planning and Financing Scenarios

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30 OVERVIEW Orange County,Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools(CHCCS), The Long-Range Facilities Optimization Plan supports the and Orange County Schools (OCS) have embarked on a missions ofCHCCS"to build an inclusive school community monumental task of evaluating the condition, adequacy, that engages, empowers, and inspires students," and OCS and locations of their 39 campuses to develop a com- "to provide an education that addresses the social, emo- prehensive Long-Range Facilities Optimization Plan to tional,intellectual,and physical needs of every student." improve the condition of school facilities for their students and community. Orange County is responsible for the 3.8 STRATEGIES million square feet of facilities at 39 campuses that make up CHCCS and OCS. This Long Range Facilities Optimization Plan organizes its School facilities have a direct impact on student learning, recommendations around six distinct strategies: student and staff health, and community. The 2021 State of Our Schools Report' uses the best available school dis- 1. ADEQUACY trict fiscal data about U.S. elementary and secondary (pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade) to analyze the Adequacy refers to the degree to which school state of public school facilities. The report finds that the facilities lack key learning and support spaces gap between expenditures and good stewardship of facil- 4 relative to North Carolina Department of Public ities continues to increase. The research performed esti- Instruction (NCDPI) design standards and the mates the nation is under-investing in school buildings and degree to which learning and support spaces are less than grounds by$85 billion each year. 90%the size called for in the NCDPI standards. This strat- egy does not include schools recommended for major ren- Public School facilities are the second largest infrastructure ovation or replacement. behind highways. However, unlike transportation, which has most of its capital costs paid from federal and state 2. REPLACEMENT SCHOOL sources, local school districts bear most of the responsi- The plan recommends schools for replacement bility for school construction capital funding. Each school based on their on their condition, educational day, nearly one-sixth of the U.S. population spends their adequacy,and utilization.These schools would day in a public school building. be rebuilt on the same or adjacent sites. Public school facilities that are well planned, designed, 3. RENOVATION built, operated, and maintained have an outsized pos itive impact on education, health, the natural environ- Facilities recommended for renovation would ment, and our communities. Historically, research has not be fully rebuilt, but rather receive renova- concluded a relationship between the condition of school tions to provide interior spaces more closely facilities and educational outcomes. Schools with proper aligned to current NCDPI standards. indoor air quality, natural lighting,and temperatures have shown to improve the student and teacher experience and 4. NEW SCHOOL productivity. New schools are recommended when needed All facilities deteriorate with time and use. Major building o o to alleviates over capacity and where growth systems, components, furniture, fixtures, and equipment is occurring and anticipated to continue. need upgrades and replacement.Older schools need mod- ernization (and sometimes replacement) to meet current 5. HIGH PRIORITY NEEDS standards and support modern educational programs and services.School districts need periodic large capital invest This strategy is used to address the highest prior- ments for these critical capital projects. ity needs for facilities that are not being reno- vated or replaced. The high priority needs strat- egy does not include all ongoing capital renewal PURPOSE needs identified in the Facility Condition Assessment. This Long-Range Facilities Optimization Plan provides a 6. CONSOLIDATE long and short-term strategic investment plan. This plan will lay out recommended investments in each school asAA1 This strategy combines two schools into a well as a suggested timeline.The final recommendation is single facility. intended to be actionable and achievable given the current state of CHCCS and OCS facilities. 1.Fi[ardo,Mary.2021 State of Our Schools:America's PK-12 Public School Facilities 2021.Washington,D.C.:21st Century School Fund. 4