Wake County leaders take bus tour to determine construction needs

County commissioners, the board of education, district leadership and facilities staff took a look at three schools as part of a bus tour around the county. Jessica Holmes, chair of the Wake County board of commissioners, said the tour is much more effective to demonstrate needed improvements than a back-and-forth email chains.

"(It's) to make sure we are all on the same page when it comes to construction needs, bonds," Holmes said.

Leaders stopped at Fuller Elementary School in Raleigh, East Garner Middle School and Bryan Road Elementary where school staff talked about where the school could use a boost.

Fuller Elementary Principal Cheryl Holland Fenner wasn't shy about sharing the challenges the school faces, explaining that many of the spaces are small, meaning teachers and staff often have to get creative.

"We have to build schools and quite frankly we also need to renovate our schools," Board Chair Monika Johnson-Hostler said. "That for me is also a huge part of this bus tour."

Holmes said bringing everyone together is key to accomplishing common goals.

"Maintaining all of our schools is a very key aspect in terms of longevity and hopefully lessening the frequency of bonds in general," she said. "Seeing exactly what the challenges are from a teacher's perspective, a principal's perspective, and also just doing it together is very important."

Holmes added that while the board is asking for more schools to be built, commissioners must be aware of tax increases and its affect on Wake County citizens.