Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

N.C. School District Drops 10 Planned Projects During Inflation

  • By Matt Jones
  • 02/21/23

Local news reports that Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools in Charlotte, N.C., has been asked to shelve 10 of 40 construction projects that were planned to put before voters on a 2023 bond referendum. District planners came up with the original list in January and planned to ask voters to approve about $3 billion in bonds to fund the construction. However, against the backdrop of inflation, county officials questioned what the price of those projects would be during the next five to seven years as they become a reality.

Interim Superintendent Crystal Hill asked the school board to remove 10 of the 40 projects from the list, but to still request the same amount of funding. “These projects have an estimated value of $2.99 billion,” she said as she introduced the revised list of proposed projects. “This amount is escalated, which means it does include inflation.”

The scaled-back list eliminates plans to replace eight aging elementary school facilities and two aging middle school facilities, according to local news.

Still on the docket are three brand-new middle schools, a new high school, a district-wide athletic facility, and about 25 replacements and renovations at aging facilities around the district. The goal is to improve school safety, learning conditions, and accommodate future enrollment growth, said construction consultant Dennis LaCaria.

“Those schools are going to be newer facilities, and they’re also typically larger than the facilities that they’re going to replace, so we will pick up capacity while addressing conditions,” said LaCaria.

Highlights from the revised list of projects include a regional athletic, multi-sport complex with a price of $114 million; final phases of renovation at Harding University High for $208 million; final phases of renovation at East Mecklenburg High for $206 million; and replacing aging facilities and athletic facilities at North Mecklenburg High for $266 million.

About the Author

Matt Jones is senior editor of Spaces4Learning. He can be reached at [email protected].

Featured

  • College of the Desert Hits Construction Milestone on New Campus

    College of the Desert recently announced that the construction of its new Palm Springs Campus in Palm Springs, Calif., recently reached a major construction milestone, according to a news release. The college is partnering with general contractor C.W. Driver Companies, which recently “topped out” the facility by placing the final beam in its structure.

  • Deferred Maintenance Issues Growing at Universities, Gordian Reports

    U.S. colleges and universities are falling increasingly behind on facilities maintenance and repair, according to Gordian’s 13th annual State of Facilities in Higher Education report. The deferred capital renewal burden has reached $156 per gross square foot, an 8% increase over the previous year.

  • UT System Approves First Funds for New Campus

    The University of Texas System Board of Regents recently approved funds to build the first facility of a new campus in far west Fort Worth, Texas, according to university news. UTA West will serve as a branch of the University of Texas at Arlington and is scheduled to open in fall 2028.

  • Armstrong World Industries Acquires Parallel Architectural Products

    Armstrong World Industries, provider of interior and exterior architectural applications, recently announced that it has acquired the Colorado-based Parallel Architectural Products, according to a news release.