THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1997, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, January 12, 1997 TAG: 9701120070
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: NORTH CAROLINA
SOURCE: BY PAUL SOUTH, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: 89 lines
Sometimes-passionate participants in the controversy over the best way to educate Dare County's schoolchildren have gotten a little breathing room.
The state last week relaxed its requirement that a new high school be built on a tract of at least 30 acres. And local school officials say they can postpone a May 6 referendum on a bond issue that would match state money.
And Dare County taxpayers will get a better idea of the cost for a proposed facilities plan at the Jan. 21 workshop of the Dare County Board of Education.
Consultants from the Wilmington-based Bonney Architects will lay out cost estimates for a variety of options, including the proposed construction of a high school north of Oregon Inlet. The meeting will begin at 1 p.m. at the North Carolina Aquarium on Roanoke Island.
The firm included a new high school as part of its recommendations in a 25-page facilities study, completed last November at a cost of $50,000. The Bonney report is the latest in a series of facilities studies commissioned by the school board since 1989.
During a series of public meetings held in December, members of the Board of Education expressed hope that a referendum on a bond issue for schools would come before the voters by May 6. However, the board's vice chairman, Fletcher Willey, said the vote can be delayed.
``That's not a drop-dead date,'' Willey said Friday afternoon. ``According to information we received from the county, we can move the date for the referendum back in two-week increments.''
At a December summit between the Board of Education and the Dare County Board of Commissioners, the county governing board expressed a number of concerns about costs. Because of those unknown factors, some county commissioners felt they were being rushed toward a May referendum.
The May target date was set to enable Dare County to get an early shot at seeking bids for the new facilities needs. Last November, North Carolina voters overwhelmingly approved a $1.8 billion bond issue for school construction, to be allocated to the state's school districts.
``We're at an advantage over a lot of school districts in that we have already made plans for expansion. But once the department releases that bond money, there will be a lot of school districts seeking architects and contractors,'' Willey said. ``There is a concern that once that money is released, the later we wait, contractors may not be as hungry for work if we delay.''
As for the 30-acre minimum for new secondary schools, the State Department of Public Instruction on Wednesday made it a recommendation, not a requirement, seeking to restore more control to local districts.
In the past, the department rejected plans for schools not on at least 30 acres.
State school planning representatives will help local boards determine if the site plan is adequate.
That news will be welcomed by supporters of proposals to build one big school on the beach for Manteo and beach students. They have been stymied in the past because of a lack of sites meeting the 30-acre minimum.
The consulting firm's recommendation calls for retaining Manteo High School and building another high school north of Oregon Inlet.
Dare County commissioners, who must pass a resolution by March 17 to set the bond referendum for May 6, are concerned about paying for new facilities.
``I support the bond referendum, but I have some concerns,'' said commissioners Chairman Robert V. ``Bobby'' Owens Jr. ``My problem is that there are still some unanswered questions. I'm concerned about what Roanoke Island is going to get, what Manteo High School is going to get, and what Cape Hatteras is going to get. But my biggest concern is what this is going to mean to the taxpayers of Dare County.''
Owens criticized some newspaper reports that he said implied that he did not support the bond issue.
``This board has always supported education,'' Owens said. ``Anything the school board has come to us with, we have supported, whether it was technology or whatever. Just because we ask questions or raise concerns doesn't mean we don't support it. But our obligation is to the taxpayers of Dare County. We have to know what this is going to cost them. It's our duty to be very slow, very deliberate and very careful.''
Owens said he was uncertain that all questions concerning the school issue could be resolved in time to meet deadlines for a May vote.
``I don't know if we'll be able to get all the information out to the voters in time for May,'' Owens said. ``I think we might want to consider moving it to the summer, or maybe the first Tuesday in November.''
Commissioner Doug Langford said Friday that he wants complete cost figures for the school proposal, including not only construction costs, but the price of equipment and new personnel as well.
``I'm concerned with total cost,'' Langford said. ``I want to see construction costs, as well as furnishings and operational expenses. I think it's my duty to make sure that the figures we get are clear, concise and complete.''
If the issue is to be voted on May 6, the school board must adopt a resolution requesting a specific dollar amount of funding for school facilities before Feb. 17, a month before the commissioners' deadline.