By Susan Dickson
Staff Writer
The Chapel Hill-Carrboro Board of Education last week voted unanimously to drop plans for a pre-kindergarten through third-grade facility at Seawell Elementary School.
S
chool board members said plans for the project were dropped because estimated costs – about $28 million – were too high considering the number of students the project would serve. Moreover, they said, it was unlikely the board would be able to secure the necessary funding from the county.
The facilities would have housed about 214 students, including 100 pre-kindergarten students. The projected costs are about the same as those needed to build a full elementary school for 585 students.
The project was planned as a collaboration with UNC’s Frank Porter Graham Childhood Development Institute to develop facilities using the institute’s First School model to educate 3-to 8-year-old students.
Board member Mike Kelley said that while he has supported First School, he did not think the district would be able to afford the project.
“I really like this concept. I think it would have a great benefit for our community,†he said. However, “I don’t think it’s realistic to think that we’re going to find the money.â€
Board member Liz Carter agreed.
“I don’t want this to go away, but currently I just don’t think that we can afford it,†she said.
Board member Annetta Streater said she was concerned that the program would have been able to serve only a limited number of students. “I’ve always had problems with a school being restrictive.â€
Board member Jean Hamilton noted that the board has limited funding this year. The Board of County Commissioners has said it hopes to limit the tax increase this year, and the county manager has recommended a budget that includes $48.7 million in funding for Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools – about $6 million less than what the school board requested.
“We as a board have to take our limited resources and put them where they’re going to do the most good for the most students,†said Hamilton.
UNC owns the land where the addition would have been located, and the facilities would have been the first of the Carolina North Project. The university would have shared 25 percent of the project costs.
The board has already approved plans to open a First School at Carrboro Elementary School for the fall of 2008.