The lobbying and negotiating over what projects to include in the next Wake County school construction bond referendum is already in progress.

As noted in today's article, the scenarios presented Wednesday range from $609 million to $2.3 billion. It's understood that the $2.3 billion, which lays out all the district's needs, isn't going to happen.

The question is which projects to still fund in a reduced bond amount.

In what's become a perennial issue on school bond issues, Wake County commissioners have questions about why school renovation projects cost so much money.

During last week's joint meeting, Joe Bryan, chairman of the board of commissioners, asked why this school district needs list. includes an $82.4 million renovation for Fuquay-Varina High School. He also asked why they're proposing more renovations for Cary High School at $37.6 million and at Enloe High School for $30.9 million.

Bryan noted that the proposed cost for Fuquay-Varina's renovation is more than the cost for building Rolesville High and the new West Apex High.

UPDATE

I've corrected the link in the post to view the presentation from school staff on the district's facility needs.

It's safe to say that you're not going to see a $2.2 billion Wake County school construction bond referendum on the fall ballot.

School administrators laid out today their construction needs through 2018, which would mean $2.2 billion with most going toward building 32 new schools and 28 major renovation projects. According to the county, that's the equivalent of a 14.68 cent property tax increase, or about $375 more a your on a $250,000 home.

Everybody from school staff to school board members to county commissioners was quick to say that they're not planning on that big a bond.

The Great Schools in Wake Coalition is mobilizing people to show up at Monday's Wake legislative delegation meeting to speak out against the bills that would change school ownership and school board elections.

"Both the Great Schools in Wake coalition and Friends of Dorothea Dix Park have issued alerts asking their members and supporters to show up en masse — and, for the Dix Park crowd, wearing green," writes Bob Geary in this blog post today the liberal Independent Weekly.

GSIW had already mobilized people last month in an unsuccessful bid to persuade the Wake County Board of Commissioners to withdraw their request for the legislation.

GSIW is backing the Wake County school board in opposing legislation that would take away its ownership of schools and change how and when board members are elected.

UPDATE

Due to the large crowd expected, the meeting has been moved to Room 643 of the Legislative Office Building, 300 N. Salisbury St., Raleigh.

See end of post for more info on Great Schools' action alert and an email from the Wake County Democratic Party also urging people to speak out Monday.

The Greater Raleigh Chamber of Commerce's proposal for resolving the fight over school ownership and school board elections appeared to fizzle Wednesday.

As noted in today's article, Joe Bryan, chairman of the Wake County Board of Commissioners, said no Wednesday to the chamber's proposal that both boards work out agreements before the pending state legislation passes.

“It’s a little late in the day for the Chamber and they’re not presenting much,” Bryan said.

Having both served as a mayor and as chairman of the Wake County Board of Commissioners, we have supported parks and open-space issues to improve the quality of life for all Wake County residents. But we must applaud state lawmakers for questioning the recent deal between the State of North Carolina and the City of Raleigh on a long-term lease for the property at Dorothea Dix.

It appears that the former governor made a hasty deal to hand over the Dix property to the city for a price that does not seem to be fair to North Carolina residents. It is appropriate that our new governor and state legislature take a hard look at that deal and its effects on residents of the state and, in particular, on those suffering with mental illness.

Turning over the Dix property to Raleigh for a mere $500,000 per year hardly takes the value of the land into account and shortchanges anyone who valued the location and services of Dix Hospital. A more appropriate deal might be to have the property fairly appraised and then to offer a portion for purchase or long-term lease at a fair market price for a park.

The City of Raleigh, with a firm offer in hand, could then ask voters to support a bond issue that would provide the financing needed to obtain the property for city uses. The state would benefit by receiving the value of the property in a lump sum, which it could use to improve mental health services at Dix or to build a new facility in another convenient location.

Either way, those needing mental health services would have new or improved facilities in the centrally located capital county and would not need to travel to Butner, Goldsboro or Morganton. An additional benefit would be the time saved for law enforcement officers who spend hours escorting individuals needing evaluation to facilities outside Wake County.

It would seem to be more important to watch out for the needs of those who may not be able to help themselves than to add additional park land to the city at an unreasonably low price.

This could be a win-win for everyone if the state would offer a portion of the Dix property to the City of Raleigh at a fair market price, supported by an independent appraisal. The city would gain a new and exciting park with the support of the taxpayers, and, more importantly, the state would have the financial resources to improve services for the clients of mental health services and preserve the true legacy of Dorothea Dix.

Joe Bryan
Chair, Wake County Board of Commissioners
Former mayor of Knightdale

Paul Y. Coble
Wake County Commissioner
Former mayor of Raleigh

The new bill that would change the way Wake County school board members are elected is getting opposition from liberal groups.

In this blog post today, Rob Schofield of the liberal N.C. Policy Watch writes that S325 "would change the rules of how school board members are elected in the capital county in a way that is clearly designed to alter the board’s power structure and move things in a conservative direction."

"It’s hard to believe that anyone could advance such a blatant power grab with a straight face," Schofield writes. "...Given their record thus far in the 2013 session, however, it appears that neither shame nor embarrassment are conditions that tend to afflict the conservative ideologues running the show on Jones Street.

One clarification on the comments that Schofield writes about Joe Bryan, chairman of the Wake County Board of Commissioners. What Bryan was surprised about Wednesday is that the bill didn't go as far as they wanted to let voters pick a majority of school board seats.

Is it time for the Wake County school board to try to negotiate the best possible school construction management deal with the county commissioners?

The legislation allowing county governments to take over all school facilities responsibilities from school boards has pretty sweeping language. It would relegate school boards to the sidelines in counties which exercise the ownership authority.

"The county shall consult the board of education in the siting, design, construction, equipping, expansion, improvement, or renovation of the property," according to S236.

So what does the business community think of the proposal to turn over ownership of schools from the Wake County Board of Education to the Wake County Board of Commissioners?

During last week's joint meeting, Joe Bryan, commissioners chairman, brought up the 2008 proposal from the Greater Raleigh Chamber of Commerce for the school board to give up school ownership to the county. Bryan then brought up the results of a more recent survey conducted by the Chamber.

“Surveys done recently through the Chamber suggest a large group of the population sees that is the best model for the county to own, build and maintain schools and it also improves potential passage of the school bond issue," Bryan said.

Anticipation is growing on when legislation will be introduced in the General Assembly to turn over school ownership to county commissioners and to change the way the Wake County school board is elected.

Both pending bills hung over Thursday's joint meeting of the Wake County school board and county commissioners. Joe Bryan, chairman of the commissioners, said the school ownership fight has now become a statewide issue with several other counties also interested in using the legislation.

“This decision will be decided hopefully within the next month or two at the legislature," Bryan said. "They will make the decision whether this model is better than what exists today.”