Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools to undergo expansion

An influx of school-aged children in the next five years has local school districts thinking they’ll need more space.

Tom Forcella, superintendent of Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools, presented the Schools Adequate Public Facilities Ordinance annual report to the Chapel Hill Town Council at a work session Wednesday.

Based on the report and a Capital Investment Program analysis, the district will need a new elementary and middle school in the 2020-2021 school year and a new high school in the 2023-2024 school year.

In Orange County, the analysis projected the need for a new elementary school in 2023-2024 and a new high school in 2022-2023.

Schools in either district haven’t reached capacity, but the report predicted increases in enrollment across almost all schools. This year, Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools’ attendance has increased by 52 students, and Orange County Schools’ attendance has increased by 199 students.

Forcella made the recommendation to the council to increase the capacity of the elementary schools in the district to better accommodate an additional 555 students and to add 105 seats to Chapel Hill High School .

“Increasing the capacity would help push off the cost for a few years,” Forcella said.

The report also included recommendations for renovations to existing school buildings. The cost of the new schools, additions and renovations would cost $160.8 million , according to the report.

Council member Maria Palmer said she was concerned about the additional students that would be added back to the school system after PACE Academy, a charter school for students who do not feel comfortable in the regular school setting, lost its charter earlier this year.

Forcella said the additional 100 students that would be added back to Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools would not change the recommendations to the council.

“That will be factored into future projections moving forward,” Forcella said.

Palmer also said she believed more alternative options should be made available to families in the area. She said she doesn’t want to expand local high schools but would rather provide alternative options to keep students in school.

“My plead is that you please consider other options,” she said. “Don’t make every child fit in a model that doesn’t fit every child.”

The Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools Board of Education will discuss the report and the recommendations at today’s meeting .

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