CMS says it will deliver on 2017 bond projects, even as costs escalate over $922 million bond
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools will need additional money to complete all the projects put forth in 2017 when voters approved a $922 million bond package, board chair Elyse Dashew said Friday.
The unexpected rise of construction costs over the years since the bond referendum is driving the gap, Dashew said. But she added that CMS remains committed to delivering all the construction goals outlined in 2017 — 17 new schools and 12 renovations and expansions.
“We’re not concerned about being able to meet the promises of the bond,” she said.
Dashew said the board will hold a public meeting Feb. 25 to review progress on all the projects in the 2017 bond, and to discuss next steps. She said the district would work with the county to address the funding gap.
CMS is hiring Dennis LaCaria, who previously worked on facilities projects for the school district and the county, to lead community engagement on the projects, Dashew said.
“We have an opportunity as a new superintendent and a new board to do a reset in how we approach some things,” she said. “We’re looking forward to engaging with CMS families in some very important and meaningful conversations in the weeks and months ahead.”
When the district plans for a bond referendum, the budgeted amounts are supposed to account for cost escalators that can drive up the price of construction. CMS used the formula recommended by Mecklenburg County economists, Dashew said, but unforeseen factors like tariffs and the trade war drove up costs.
Dashew also said CMS would reconsider whether 125-classroom schools were the best designs for high schools, and that more details would be discussed at the Feb. 25 meeting.
CMS originally pledged to build three 125-classroom schools, to replace West Charlotte High School and to relieve schools in Steele Creek and south Charlotte. Each school was budgeted for $110 million.
In the summer of 2018, those plans were scaled down to 100 classrooms at West Charlotte and in Steele Creek, while plans for the south Charlotte high school were delayed by a year.
The cost of land has been a hurdle for CMS, particularly in south Charlotte. In August, the district began soil testing a site near Olde Providence Elementary School on land that the district owns. But residents pushed back on the plans to build a school there, saying the site was too small for a high school and that the green space was an important community resource.
In fast-growing parts of Charlotte, overcrowding continues to be a major issue in school buildings, many of which have added trailers to add capacity. Even with the 2017 bond issue, CMS faces challenges in building enough space for students. When the $922 million bond was up for a vote in 2017, the district had about $2 billion in capital needs, Dashew said.