Wake County staff present facility utilization report; recommend limited capping change for Knightdale area

Marcella Royer, a long‑range planning staff member, presented Wake County Public School System's Facility Utilization Report and long‑range capping recommendations, telling the Board that the report is used to monitor class‑size legislation, support enrollment caps and transfer appeals, and inform the assignment plan.

Royer said the district distinguishes enrollment (every student enrolled) from average daily membership (ADM), which is affected by attendance and the 10‑day rule. "Our PMR 2 for the 2024‑25 school year is 161,115 students," she said, and later provided a separate daily enrollment figure for the district as of the snapshot referenced in the presentation. She reviewed the district's capacity model (brick and mortar capacity, trailers, and new "flexible capacity") and outlined how spaces that previously did not carry capacity are sometimes converted to classrooms as schools become crowded.

The presentation listed changes in campus capacity and notable moves: Bauchum Elementary returned from swing space (arriving at a campus capacity noted in the report), Fuquay‑Varina Elementary will move midyear into temporary swing space at Hilltop Needmore (Royer said its capacity will be reduced from the current campus total to a preemptive 716 to avoid overfilling), Pleasant Grove Elementary converted from traditional calendar to multi‑track year‑round (capacity rose in the district report from 616 to 814), Fuquay‑Varina Middle opened a new campus (capacity rose from 936 to 1,248), Roseville High received an additional 144 seats via trailer placement, and the Wake Early College of Information and Biotechnologies (WESIB) will open temporarily at a Davis Drive site with a projected temporary opening in 2026 and a permanent move in 2029, per the presentation.

On capping, Royer said staff are not recommending any new school caps or widespread uncapping for 2024‑25, citing anticipated relief in 2025‑26. The staff recommendation includes one targeted change to overflow assignments: change the overflow for Beaver Dam to Forestville Elementary while keeping Rogers Lane's overflow as Knightdale Elementary. Royer said Knightdale faces pressure because it is the overflow site for two schools and is also projected to see proximate residential growth; the change is intended to provide relief and greater stability for Knightdale families. She told the Board that if approved, the recommended capping list would be brought back for a vote at the Jan. 7 board meeting.

Board members and staff discussed how the FUR data are presented and used. Board member Mary Mahaffey (board member) thanked staff for consistency and asked whether a column showing the percentage if "every student in the base attended" could be added or provided separately; Royer said staff could run a behind‑the‑scenes snapshot report for appeals but preferred to keep the official FUR as the public document because those numbers change frequently. Board member Rice asked whether feeder‑pattern maps and capped/overflow school lists could be made more accessible on the district website; Royer confirmed the district already publishes the FUR and related data on the district facts web pages and said staff would consider making capped school information easier to find.

Royer also noted transportation impacts and cost implications of overflow changes. On potential additional bus costs she said, "In previous years, the cost of adding that additional bus was about $50,000," and that current estimates would likely be "a little bit north of $50,000" given salary and other increases; she asked transportation staff for any updated figures at the follow‑up meeting.

The presentation closed with a schedule: staff will return to the board in January with final capping recommendations and any edits requested by board members, and staff will meet subsequently with principals of capped and overflow schools to review procedures before implementation.

Royer provided the official FUR and a board‑sorted FUR as backup materials and noted the district uploaded the data onto its website under district facts during the meeting.

Ending: The board did not take a vote at the work session. Staff will return with the formal capping recommendations and a request for approval at the Jan. 7 board meeting. The district continues to collect and publish FUR data and will conduct school‑level meetings for any schools affected by approved caps or overflow changes.