This paper offers unconventional and innovative ideas for school planning and construction in North Carolina for creating smaller and safer community schools in response to rising enrollment, tight budgets, and dwindling school space. Often using examples from across the country, the paper discusses school construction costs and economy of scale…

Schools in North Carolina are governed by numerous laws pertaining to construction and repair. A selection of these laws is presented. Financial concerns constitute the bulk of these statutes, covering areas such as bids (financial outlay, advertisement, rejecting bids, and withdrawing bids); sources of state funds; the selling or buying of school…

This document provides school systems and designers with design information that can be used as a basis for new schools, additions, and renovations when building public schools in North Carolina. Further, it serves as a planning guide for those in the process of building or renovating school facilities. The guidelines detail minimum requirements…

In July 1987, North Carolina enacted legislation to provide funds for public school construction. This document defines and describes the educational spaces needed to support a comprehensive educational program and to set minimal standards for types of spaces and for sizes of spaces. Standards, comments, and recommendations are provided for the…

The selection and planning of sites appropriate for school facilities is a critical and complex undertaking. This publication describes the many factors to be considered during the process of site selection, planning, development, and use. The introduction stresses the importance of knowing the community or territory and the local school system.…

Discusses current school construction needs in North Carolina and methods available under state law to finance construction. To put North Carolina law in perspective, the article also discusses school construction finance procedures used throughout the United States. (Author)

The 1986 North Carolina Public School Facilities Standards were legislated in 1996 to become Facility Guidelines. A Public School Facilities Task Force was appointed to review and make revisions. These 1997 guidelines define and describe minimum facilities to ensure educational program appropriateness and long-term cost efficiency. They were…

This publication, a supplement to the "North Carolina Public School Facilities Guidelines," is intended as a resource to assist design professionals in planning facilities that meet the evolving needs of public schools in North Carolina. The publication specifically describes early childhood education programs and the facilities that…

Examines how well, after 12 years and 3 billion dollars, North Carolina's counties and their school systems have succeeded in meeting their previously stated needs for school construction. Focuses on the role of state money in helping counties and on the state's efforts to assist the poorest counties in meeting their needs. (Contains 15 figures.)…

In July 1987, the North Carolina General Assembly enacted legislation to provide funds for public school construction to assist county governments in meeting their capital building needs and to provide additional funds for selected counties with the most critical school facility needs. This document, in accordance with the legislation's direction,…

In February 1987, at a statewide meeting of North Carolina school board attorneys, it was revealed that most school board attorneys were not consulted about and had never seen the construction contracts executed by their clients. The general practice in the state was that the architects prepared the contracts using the standard American Institute…