Our Building Program

Overview of Funding

Wake County is statutorily required to fund the public school capital needs of the Wake County Board of Education. The County strives to use approximately 80% debt and 20% cash to annually fund the capital needs. For the debt component, the County typically pursues the issuance of General Obligation Bonds through a voter authorized public referendum. Wake County will seek approval from voters for $530.7 million of General Obligation Bonds for the construction, renovation and equipping of school facilities in FY2024 and FY2025.  The County has made no decisions regarding the future debt funding method for the remaining years of the FY2026-FY2029 Capital Improvement Program.

Continuous Building Program

In April 2022, the Board of Education approved a seven-year building plan that includes schools that are planned for funding between FY 2023 and 2029. The scope and timing of the schools in this seven-year plan are subject to change. This approved seven-year plan supersedes the plan approved by the Board of Education in May 2021. The projected cost for this time period is $2.632B. This includes eleven new schools (six elementary, one middle, three high, and one combo middle/high) along with ten major renovations (six elementary, three middle and one high). Additionally, the plan includes life-cycle equipment replacement, educational equipment and furniture replacement, technology and security, land acquisition, environmental/ADA issues, mobile relocations, unique learning environments (SNAP and PRIMP), facilities assessments, program management, and program contingency.

Funding for the first schools in the program is expected in Fall 2022. There are other facility needs in the school system that are not funded in the seven-year plan. They will be evaluated in the next update, which is anticipated to be complete in late spring 2023 when FY 30 is included in the projections.