Voters approved the $810 million bond for Wake County schools Oct. 8. The bond, a statement by the government promising to pay back the money borrowed to accommodate the growing population of students, will fund the construction of new schools across the county. Voters passed the bond by a 16 percent margin, with almost 58 percent of voters supporting the bond.
Politicians and those who voted in favor of the bond say that because the population of Wake County students is expected to increase by as many as 20,000 by 2018, the bond was necessary in making room for the rise in students.
“Issues like this have and will always be two-sided. I think it’s exciting that they’re building new schools because many of the schools that I have gone to and visited are already overpopulated,” said Megan Bonner, junior.
The bond is intended to help pay for 16 new schools by 2018 as well as over 70 renovations both major and minor across the county. 11 new elementary schools, three new middle schools, and two additional high schools are planned to be built with the money from this bond. 57 percent of the money is set to fund the building of new schools, 26 percent will support school renovations, and 17 percent is “allocated for school support items” according to www.wakegov.com.
The $810 million bond will be paid by taxpayers across the county as their property tax increases will go towards the funding. On average it is set to increase a Wake County homeowner’s property taxes by about $145 a year. Many of those who are opposed to the bond argue against the raising of taxes, believing that North Carolina’s debt is too large to take on such a project.
“I suppose that the taxation issues will be a problem to some. As a teenager I don’t have much experience in paying taxes, so I’m less aware of their effects. Despite this, I do think that the benefits outweigh the risks,” said Bonner.
Money from the recently passed bond will not go into effect until the fall of 2014, but projects will in the mean time use money from bonds sold earlier this year that add up to a total of $43.8 million.
Athens Drive is expected to receive $2,014,160 in replacements of aging systems according to the Wake County Public School System (WCPSS) website. The majority of the money going to Athens will be used to replace electrical systems. Other improvements include the replacement of roofing and heating and air conditioning units. So far there is no timeline as to when Athens is expected to receive these improvements.
With the bond approved, Athens Drive and dozens of other schools across Wake County are expected to be renovated and improved to accommodate the growth of students. With 20,000 students joining WCPSS in just 5 years, the $810 million bond is expected to be the solution to already crowded schools and classrooms.
