Staff is recommending delaying the opening of H6 in order to fund the renovations for Wake Forest-Rolesville High School.

Supt. Del Burns said that the Monday infusion of $100 million from the county still leaves the school district short of all that is needed. He said that some projects will be delayed.

Burns said that the Wake Forest-Rolesville High renovations should remain the top priority and be kept on schedule. But that means the other big ticket item, H6, would be put on hold.

School board members aren't going to get the advance notice they'd hoped for about which construction projects face elimination today.

Board members had asked to get by Monday a list of new schools and renovations that administrators would recommend delaying today. But administrators said Monday that the list now won't be available until today's work session.

The work session begins at noon in the board conference room, 3600 Wake Forest Road in Raleigh.

The school board has some major decisions to make on Tuesday that could impact even a one-year reassignment plan.

A lot rides on which new schools and renovation projects stay on track or are delayed due to the borrowing crunch. More changes could occur depending on the review of the magnet secondary schools.

One big question is whether the school board should go ahead with the $62.8 million renovation project at Wake Forest-Rolesville High School. While delaying the project would save a lot of money, it could create other problems.

How much should be spent on renovations in the next bond issue, especially when it comes to issues of equity?

As noted in today's article, those are among the difficult questions that will have to be answered as the school board formulates the next capital improvement plan and bond issue.

“We need to have expectations for our older schools that have been around for a generation or two," said Kevin Hill, vice chairman of the school board.

We should get a first look this morning at the renovation projects that could be part of the next bond issue and capital improvement program.

During today's facilities committee meeting, the board will "review a list of candidate projects" that could be in the next CIP. Determining the right mix of renovation projects and new schools is definitely a balancing act.

The amount being spent no renovations became an issue in the 2006 bond campaign.

A very divided board of commissioners signed off today on the $62.8 million renovation project for Wake Forest-Rolesville High School.

The commissioners agreed to delay the opening of two new elementary schools to help provide a majority of the funding for the renovations. The plan calls for the high school to be emptied out for the 2009-10 school year with students going to the new Heritage High while the campus is renovated.

School leaders said the timing was critical for the renovations while growth had slowed enough among younger students for the new schools not to be needed so soon.

Joe Bryan, chairman of the board of commissioners, had the resolution modified to say that the school board was consciously changing what was in the 2006 bond issue and the CIP by making the request.