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

  • Fayetteville State University Opens New Residence Hall

    Fayetteville State University (FSU) in Fayetteville, N.C., recently completed construction on a new $50-million residence hall, according to a news release. The university partnered with KWK/Jenkins • Peer Architects on the design of Bronco Pride Hall.

  • sapling sprouting from a cracked stone

    Lessons in Resilience: Disaster Recovery in Our Schools

    Facility managers play a pivotal role in how well a school weathers and recovers from a crisis. Whether it's a hurricane, a flood, a tornado, or a man-made event, preparation determines resilience.

  • DLR Group Appoints New K–12 Education Practice Leader

    Integrated design firm DLR Group recently announced that it has named its new global K–12 Education leader, Senior Principal Carmen Wyckoff, AIA, LEED AP, according to a news release. Her teams have members in all 36 of the firm’s offices in the U.S., Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Europe, and Asia.

  • University of Kansas Opens $400M Football Stadium Reconstruction

    The University of Kansas in Lawrence, Kan., recently announced that the $400-million reconstruction of David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium is complete in time for the 2025 football season, according to a news release. The university partnered with Turner Construction Company on the project.

Digital Edition