Parents in northern Mecklenburg say they've waited years for help to relieve overcrowding at Torrence Creek Elementary.

The Huntersville school had nearly 1,300 students last year, with as many classrooms in mobile units as there are in the main school building. The district planned a new elementary on Stumptown Road to remove some of the pressure, and it is a top priority for officials.

But the school isn't among the 18 projects the county has proposed funding this year.

And some people connected to Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools are blaming that on a new county system that uses objective criteria to determine what construction projects get funded.

They're appealing to commissioners to approve at least some of the $15.3 million needed for Stumptown. But county leaders seem unlikely to change its list of projects before the board adopts a capital budget Tuesday.

To be sure, Stumptown school is one of dozens of school, park, library and other government facilities that won't receive money this year. Some of CMS' top priorities are among those recommended for funding.

Still, the lobbying effort for the elementary school illustrates some of what county leaders wanted to avoid. They hoped that by evaluating all projects under objective, preset criteria, they would take the politics out of annual debates on how to spend construction money.

Chair Jennifer Roberts said the system is meant to help officials figure out the best way to meet project needs across Mecklenburg while keeping the county's debt under control. The county is limiting the number of projects based on stricter guidelines on how much can be spent on construction each year.

But the absence of funds for the elementary school highlights what others are calling a flaw in the county's new system: in wanting to be objective, it doesn't take into consideration the priorities of the school board or other agencies.

Under the county ranking, Stumptown is 26th among 65 projects across Mecklenburg. CMS ranked it fifth among its 15 projects.

"We've been told directly for a few years given the severe overcrowding that we face every day that (CMS has) been working on it to make sure we're one of the first to get funded," said Shannon Vecchiarello, who has a third-grader at Torrence Creek.

"The new county list comes out and pushes it to uncertainty."

Changes in policies

Mecklenburg County pays for construction for school and community college buildings, parks, libraries and other government-related facilities.

Much of the money was approved by voters in bond referendums or other debt taken on by commissioners. The county also uses tax dollars to do projects without borrowing.

For much of the past decade, a growing tax base helped pay for the more than $2 billion in projects approved since 2000. But the recession and concerns from credit agencies about the county's high debt led to changes in construction policies.

Commissioners agreed in 2009 to freeze major borrowing as part of a "debt diet." That left nearly $1 billion in delayed projects, including a new jail that was recently scrapped.

The project ranking system is among the county changes.

In the past, the county would review projects planned by county departments and partners like CMS or Central Piedmont Community College and approve how much money to spend on each.

Last fall, county staff pitched a different method. Instead of handling agency construction plans separately, all proposed projects would be considered together. Nine criteria would be used to evaluate projects and rank them, including whether a project helps meet a federal or state mandate, the impact on services or economic development and where it falls on board priorities.

Projects would be approved based on how much money the county planned to spend and its ranking. Commissioners approved the ranking system at a retreat in January.

This spring, agencies were asked to submit the projects that could be ready for construction this year and to score the projects under the county ranking system.

But Mike Raible, who heads planning and project management for CMS, said the district did not fully understand how the county would use the scores. He conceded that he was not part of all meetings with the county, but said he and other staff had no clue that it did not include some sort of consideration of priority order from each of the requesting agencies.

He said he wishes the district had had a chance to discuss the projects more before the recommended project list was unveiled to commissioners last month. Raible and others said the rubric appears to favor renovations over building new schools like Stumptown because it considers whether the project will require operating money once finished.

The more money a project might need, the fewer points it can earn in the county's ranking. Raible also questioned discrepancies in the number of points the county and CMS staff gave projects

Commissioner Bill James said the district should not have been completely surprised that Stumptown and another new school would be ranked lower because those projects scored fewer points than others when the district applied the county scoring rubric. Stumptown earned fewer points, in part, because the form submitted by CMS said the project does not address a safety hazard or fulfill a mandate or contract.

Wanda Reeves, who oversees debt management in the county finance department, said last month the county reviewed all the project forms to make sure the criteria had been interpreted appropriately by agencies.

She also said staff believed agencies understood how the county was changing its system. Meanwhile, commissioner Roberts said that while the rubric doesn't include a specific category for growth, that doesn't mean a new school won't be built.

Roberts said the ranking system is designed to figure out the best way to pay for construction projects within new budget restraints.

In the mid-2000s, the county could spend $200 million or more just for CMS construction. This year, staff has proposed $156 million for all projects across the county. That includes $100 million in bonds.

"We're really looking at ... the long-term viability of the capital program," Roberts said. "And of the county being able to afford and accommodate the needs that are all over the county."

Stumptown could get money next year

Based on the current ranking, Roberts and county staff have said Stumptown would be among the projects most likely to get money for funding a year from now.

District leaders say some money is needed sooner to make sure the elementary can open in time for the 2013-14 school year.

School board member Rhonda Lennon, who represents northern Mecklenburg, said the county should go back to letting CMS and agencies decide how to spend the construction money. She noted the district's list is voted on by the school board, which - like the county - is elected and accountable to voters.

If not, she said the staff should figure out exactly how much money is needed for other planned school projects this year and use any leftover money for Stumptown.

On Tuesday, commissioners are expected to vote on the project list. Roberts said she does not think there is any appetite to change the list, and James said he would only consider adjusting what CMS projects are funded if the school board formally requests it.

Several other commissioners did not return calls for comment last week.

Roberts said if there are adjustments to make in the ranking system, those might be considered at the board's next retreat. But, she said, "I don't think there is anything seriously wrong with the prioritization."