SchoolsFriday, November 6
North Carolina school districts report $18 billion in construction needs over five years
The 5AM Chapel Hill team
North Carolina school districts say they need about $18 billion for construction over the next five years, up from $13.1 billion in 2021, a facilities survey told the State Board of Education on Wednesday. Wake County voters approved a $680 million bond this week.
Guilford, Wake and Winston-Salem/Forsyth report the biggest needs
Source: Durham Herald Sun
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| Value | |
|---|---|
| Guilford | $2.2 billion |
| Wake | $2 billion |
| Winston-Salem/Forsyth | $1.5 billion |
Renovations drive the increase: 1,416 schools account for $9.8 billion, versus $6.2 billion for new schools. Carolina Journal says higher construction costs, not more projects, explain most of it. Vice chair Alan Duncan said, "I don't see us cutting into that number," and that state help may be needed even more now that voters approved a constitutional amendment authorizing the General Assembly to limit local property tax increases.
The state's baseline school construction cost rose to $350 a square foot
Source: Carolina Journal
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| Cost per square foot | |
|---|---|
| 2010-11 | $138 |
| 2015-16 | $194 |
| 2020-21 | $250 |
| 2025 | $350 |
- Last statewide school bond: 1996, for $1.8 billion
- State construction funding, past five years: about $2.85 billion
- County school bonds: about $5 billion, in eight of 100 counties
- Possible ask of lawmakers: $142 million more a year
Sources: Durham Herald Sun, Carolina Journal