‘Time to rebuild’: How much Orange County will ask voters for to repair schools

Tammy Grubb
·6 min read

Culbreth Middle School teachers Courtney Benedick and Megan Stevenson consider themselves lucky to have larger classrooms with windows and reliable heat.

But last year, kids in her English class got stung by wasps, Benedick said, and in March, heavy rain caused a ceiling leak, puddling her classroom.

Stevenson learned not to leave treats in her social studies classroom, because it attracts mice and ants, she said. The cockroaches are so abundant, she started naming them.

“There’s Frank and Billy,” she said. “They only come out in the early morning when I first get here, and they tend to hide when the children are here, but you can still see them.”

Other teachers work in cramped, windowless rooms, struggling with heating and cooling systems so old they use space heaters and noisy fans to keep their classrooms comfortable.

A hole in the ceiling at Culbreth Middle School in Carrboro provides access to a water pipe for repairs.
A hole in the ceiling at Culbreth Middle School in Carrboro provides access to a water pipe for repairs.

It’s a similar story at Carrboro Elementary where, when it rains, sandbags can’t keep water out of the 67-year-old school, Principal Jennifer Halsey said. They’ve also had to squeeze in electrical panels beside water heaters and turn closets into copier rooms and offices.

Those are not isolated problems in the Chapel Hill-Carrboro City or the Orange County schools, administrators and teachers said.

Carrboro Elementary School staff and administrators make the best of every available space, including this “copier room” squeezed into a former closet. Other closets provide office space for multiple staff members, Principal Jennifer Halsey said.
Carrboro Elementary School staff and administrators make the best of every available space, including this “copier room” squeezed into a former closet. Other closets provide office space for multiple staff members, Principal Jennifer Halsey said.

What did the commissioners decide?

The Orange County commissioners unanimously voted Tuesday night to put a voter bond referendum on the November ballot. The bond is set at a maximum of $300 million to pay for new schools and upgrades in both districts.

The commissioners have also discussed financing another $90.1 million and dedicating $100 million from the county’s budget over the next 10 years.

Would taxes go up to pay for the bond?

Yes. The bond and other debt could cost property owners an extra 8.42 cents per $100 in assessed property value, or an additional $336.80 in county property taxes on a house valued at $400,000.

Deputy County Manager Travis Myren said that tax increase is just a projection and would depend on when projects are scheduled, the county’s 2025 property revaluation and interest rates.

Carrboro Elementary School staff put fresh paint on the walls, a shine on the floors and hang colorful displays to provide students with a positive learning environment in the 67-year-old school.
Carrboro Elementary School staff put fresh paint on the walls, a shine on the floors and hang colorful displays to provide students with a positive learning environment in the 67-year-old school.

Why now?

Both districts are excited about being able to fix mechanical problems, upgrade classrooms and buy new roofs. At least one new county school is possible.

Between them, the districts have 32 schools and seven administrative facilities — 23 are over 40 years old and most need repairs, according to a report from Woolpert consultants hired to study the needs in 2023.

The report found roofing and mechanical problems in both districts. Orange County also had interior and electrical needs.

The patches won’t hold forever, the report and district officials said.

That’s the greatest concern, especially at Carrboro Elementary, where “the life expectancy of this building has just reached its peak,” said Al Ciarochi, the district’s chief operating officer.

“It’s time to rebuild or extensively renovate, and when I say renovate, it means gut the entire building, and rip out all of your major infrastructure and replace it,” Ciarochi said.

Orange County Schools Maintenance Director Hank McKee said the stripes on Hillsborough Elementary School floors help kids line up correctly. The blue lines on the walls are located where they leave fingerprints, he said, so his team doesn’t have to repaint everything.
Orange County Schools Maintenance Director Hank McKee said the stripes on Hillsborough Elementary School floors help kids line up correctly. The blue lines on the walls are located where they leave fingerprints, he said, so his team doesn’t have to repaint everything.

What do the county schools need?

Hillsborough Elementary is 69 years old and once served as the county’s all-Black high school. Legendary performers, like Ike and Tina Turner, entertained the community in its gym, and murals on the walls mark key moments in history.

The school needs a new roof and mechanical and plumbing work, and at least one set of exterior steps are cracked and dangerous. The Woolpert report recommended rebuilding Central Elementary School and combining it with Hillsborough Elementary.

Concrete steps on one side of Hillsborough Elementary School are cracking and worn, creating an unstable footing.
Concrete steps on one side of Hillsborough Elementary School are cracking and worn, creating an unstable footing.

The report also recommended replacing Orange High School, built in 1962, but Dwayne Foster, the district’s chief operating officer, thinks it can be renovated. A 2016 bond paid for a more reliable geothermal heating system and increased restrooms with disability access. More money would address critical electrical issues and update career and technical education classrooms.

Who is responsible for maintaining schools?

Orange County government gives money to each district to maintain and build schools. The school boards and administrators in each district decide how to spend the money and said the needs have outgrown the funding.

Orange High School in Hillsborough could get a new greenhouse with a hydroponics system if voters approve a $300 million bond for school repairs and upgrades.
Orange High School in Hillsborough could get a new greenhouse with a hydroponics system if voters approve a $300 million bond for school repairs and upgrades.

How would the money be spent?

The Orange County Schools plan includes:

▪ A new, 600-student elementary school

▪ Partnership Academy kitchen and cafeteria

▪ Grady A. Brown Elementary and Orange High School renovations

▪ New greenhouses with hydroponic systems at Cedar Ridge and Orange high schools

▪ Roofs, mechanical, electrical, plumbing, and fire alarm and intercom upgrades

▪ Career and technical education and exceptional children’s facility upgrades

These exposed mechanical systems and pipes at Orange High School can be found in buildings across both the Chapel Hill-Carrboro and Orange County school districts. In modern schools, those systems are placed behind the walls.
These exposed mechanical systems and pipes at Orange High School can be found in buildings across both the Chapel Hill-Carrboro and Orange County school districts. In modern schools, those systems are placed behind the walls.

The Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools plan is being developed.

▪ District officials, the school board and county commissioners will finalize a list of priorities by summer, spokesman Andy Jenks said.

▪ It could include new boilers, heat pumps and HVAC systems; new roofs; repaving; and security and safety upgrades.

Will this cover all of the county’s school building needs?

No. School officials said the bond and debt spending would make a significant dent in both short- and long-term needs, but the Woolpert report recommended up to $1.1 billion to make local schools comfortable and safe.

Why are the schools in such bad shape?

Buildings in both districts are in good to average condition now, but at least 32 could be in below-average to poor condition in 10 years without upgrades, the Woolpert report said.

Roughly 12% of the buildings have critical needs that could close schools if mechanical or safety systems failed, it said. Another 32% have essential needs, such as roof leaks that could put mechanical or electrical equipment at risk.

That is partly due to the age of the buildings, but also because maintenance was deferred between 1990 and 2010, when the county built 17 new schools to accommodate growing student enrollment.

The county can pay now for critical repairs or anticipate replacing at least four schools by 2034, the report said.

Didn’t the county just spend a school bond?

Yes. Voters approved a $120 million bond in 2016, when the cost for both districts was estimated at $330 million.

About $72 million was spent renovating Chapel Hill High School, and nearly $48 million paid for a new wing at Cedar Ridge High School, Orange High School upgrades, and new roofs, mechanical systems and other, smaller projects at multiple county schools.

The needs are more defined now, and the cost of labor and construction materials has skyrocketed.

What are the next steps?

▪ The commissioners will appoint a bond education committee, and meet with the school boards on April 25.

▪ The county must apply by May 10 for review by the Local Government Commission, which approves government bonds.

▪ A public hearing could be held May 21, with a final vote to approve the bond referendum June 4.

▪ Voters would decide whether to support the $300 million bond in the Nov. 5 general election.

▪ More information: orangecountync.gov/3291/Orange-County-Schools-Assessment.

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