School officials say the commissioners' decision will not influence whether they appeal. School officials said regardless of today's decision, they need to be preparing now to comply with Potter's ruling by next fall. Commissioners' Chairman Parks Helms said he was prepared to vote for the funding Tuesday, but the extra week will give the public more time to understand the schools board's proposal and the school board's decision on an appeal. We're trying to create an environment for this community to go forward, united. That proposal was rejected.
Officials say they've known for years that the renovation work needed to be done.
But the renovations become especially important if the schools move from a system of busing for racial integration to a neighborhood assignment plan in which students go to schools closest to home, they say. Because most of the schools slated for renovation are in the center city, it would be mostly center-city children who attend the temporary schools, which would be comprised of modular buildings. Several commissioners said they worried the temporary schools could turn into permanent, substandard schools for center-city kids if future school board members and county commissioners don't come through with the planned renovations. Commissioners said Tuesday that they wanted school officials to come up with an alternative to the modular schools.