The initial list of Wake County school construction needs is out for consideration in the next school capital improvement program and bond issue.

As noted in today's article, staff will lay out at today's school board facilities committee meeting that 24 new schools are needed over the next four years. That includes 14 new elementary schools, three middle schools, five regular high schools, the CTE high school and an alternative school.

They've also listed 12 whole campus renovations that will essentially mean rebuilding those schools, 16 partial campus school renovations, various life-cycle projects and assorted support and athletic facilities.

Wake County school board chairman Kevin Hill is pointing to the need to change the student assignment plan for diversity reasons and downplaying concerns the recent vote will negatively impact a looming school bond issue.

In this interview last Tuesday on the Bill LuMaye Show on WPTF, Hill said the reason for passing the student assignment directive was the data they had been receiving over the last month about school demographic trends from the new choice plan. Hill said they were concerned that they could add 10 new high-needs schools with high levels of poverty.

"I've heard the superintendent on record all spring basically say there's going to need to be some changes, there's going to be some tweaks," Hill said. "As a board we've been supportive of the choice plan through the spring, but I think this data was kind of alarming in terms of where enrollment was going at several schools. The superintendent again is on record as saying it's cheaper to keep a school from becoming high risk than to deal with a school once it is high risk."

Despite some speculation otherwise, it looks like the Greater Raleigh Chamber of Commerce will be helping promote passage of a Wake County school construction bond measure that's expected to be on the ballot in 2013.

Harvey Schmitt, president of the Greater Raleigh Chamber, said the group will continue in the position it's held for the past generation of lobbying to get school bond issues passed. This will happen even though Schmitt says the group is still disappointed that the school board is moving away from the choice plan.

There's been speculation about what the Chamber would do if the choice plan was delayed or dropped.

Wake County school board chairman Kevin Hill is trying to ease concerns about the school board's recent vote to change the student assignment plan for the 2013-14 school year.

As noted in today's article, Hill said during a Friday meeting with N&O editors and reporters that he's not expecting the return to an address-based plan to result in large-scale reassignment. He stressed the proposed "stay where you start" policy which would allow students to stay at the school they're attending until they complete the grade span.

But Hill also said they're still going to have to reassign people to fill all the new schools that Wake will need to deal with growth.

Wake County school board member John Tedesco is called "statesmanlike" in this week's issue of the liberal Independent weekly.

This article by Bob Geary notes Tedesco's willingness to reach out to the Democratic school board members for compromises on issues such as student assignment. Geary also writes that "around here, Tedesco is viewed as a conservative ideologue," but he's being called too moderate by his opponent for the Republican nomination for state schools superintendent.

"While Tedesco is poison for many Democrats, he's also the only Republican school board member who regularly communicates with any of the five Democrats who now constitute the new board majority, after two years of Republican control," Geary writes.

The opening all new Wake County elementary and middle schools on a multi-track year-round calendar may not officially be part of the next school construction program.

This set of draft capital planning program issues approved by the school board's facilities committee on Tuesday omits any reference of opening all new elementary and middle schools on a year-round calendar.

For a comparison, look at this version that school staff presented to the school board in February. It included the wording from the agreement approved by the school board and county commissioners that was used to develop the $970 million bond issue that went before voters in 2006.

Are you ready for a Wake County school construction bond referendum in May?

The school board's facilities committee recommended today going with a timetable that would have a May 2013 bond referendum instead of an October 2013 referendum. The reason is that school staff says the earlier referendum would let them get money for projects in July 2013 compared to July 2014 if the wait until an October 2013 referendum.

“We can’t afford to fall a year behind on capital projects,” said school board member Jim Martin.

It's back to work planning the next school construction program at today's Wake County school board facilities committee meeting.

The committee will receive information on Wake's technology inventory, school bond planning calendar and larger format circle maps for determining locations for new schools.

The committee will also receive information on student enrollment projections, school capacities, school crowding and the schematic design for Richland Creek Elementary School.

The Wake County school board's facilities committee will meet today to try again to discuss planning for the next school construction program and bond issue.

The May 9 meeting was canceled because not enough school board members attended. A quorum is expected to attend today.

The wild card since that meeting is that Wake County staff have broached the idea of delaying a possible 2013 school bond issue by raising property 2.7 cents to pay for school construction needs. While the tax increase would guarantee money, it would likely produce less money than could be acquired if a bond issue passed.

Is a small property tax increase a better alternative than going for a big bond referendum next year to pay for Wake County school construction needs?

As noted in today's article by Thomas Goldsmith, county staff told the Wake County Board of Commissioners on Monday that a 2.7-cent property tax increase would raise $150 million a year for county schools construction. This could be used to delay a school bond issue for three years, paying for $450 million in new schools and renovations.

That $450 million would likely be smaller than what the school board would request in a 2013 bond referendum.