School Overcrowding Curbed by SAPFO

An exponential population increase in recent years in Orange County has caused a boom in the number of students requiring education.

Many officials have expressed concern over a lack of facilities for the ever-growing numbers of pupils. This growing concern has led to the proposed Schools Adequate Pubic Facilities Ordinance.

On May 14, SAPFO took another major step toward approval when the Carrboro Board of Aldermen approved a memorandum of understanding.

SAPFO is the product of a cooperative effort consisting of the governments of Chapel Hill, Carrboro and Orange County and both local school boards, the Chapel Hill-Carrboro Board of Education and the Orange County Board of Education.

Orange County Commissioner Barry Jacobs said, "SAPFO will help pace development so the population doesn't outstrip the capacity for adequate school space."

The Triangle is known around the country for its conglomerate corporations, booming businesses and research universities. These institutions make Chapel Hill and Orange County an attractive destination for many families.

Carrboro Board of Aldermen member Jacquelyn Gist said the draw is because "the public schools are so good."

But SAPFO will require residential developers to go before school boards and outline their plans for construction, including how many units they plan to build and expected occupancy numbers.

The school board must decide if the local school systems can accommodate the influx of students from the new residential development before construction may begin.

Developers must then request a Certification of Adequacy of Public Schools Facilities. The certification is an indication of agreement between the school system and the developer and will help ensure that school systems will not become overcrowded.

While SAPFO has been lauded as a good solution to keeping schools under capacity, officials still have concerns over possible side effects.

Jacobs said small builders may run into problems competing. "We may be putting ourselves into a physical straight jacket that would be inflexible," he said.

Orange County school board member Delores Simpson said the possibility of the studies behind SAPFO being miscalculated is minimal.

Gist said she does not like the idea of the school board and superintendent having a say in developments because it is not their responsibility. But she said SAPFO is seen as a tool that begin to handle the present problem. "It is based on a scientific method, so I'm sure it's all been taken into consideration," Gist said.

"Lots of kids have spent almost all their time in trailers," Chapel Hill Town Council member Flicka Bateman said. "SAPFO will help pace development with school capacity and cut down on overcrowding."

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