District leaders said Davis Drive Elementary, Durant Road Elementary and Creech Road Elementary have structural issues that require immediate attention. An investigation found missing rebar, grout, and compromised beam connection elements. Students participating in summer programs were removed from the buildings within 24 hours, Superintendent Dr. Robert Taylor said.
"We immediately pivoted the next day to put (these students) in different locations," Dr. Taylor said. "So, it is about making sure we address any safety issues."
It all started with what district officials believed to be a common construction settlement crack in a classroom at Creech Road Elementary, but further investigation revealed more extensive structural problems. At Creech Road, 12 classrooms and five non-classrooms were impacted including the cafeteria.
Similar concerns were discovered at Davis Drive Elementary and Durant Road Elementary, which were built using designs similar to Creech Road Elementary.
"What the engineers found was not about aging, it really was about original construct and when the building was designed," Dr. Taylor said. "And so what we recognize is that the building had not been constructed to the architects drawings."
He added that the structural problems may have been difficult to detect during the original construction inspections nearly 35 years ago.
"Most of those kinds of things are able to catch. When you talk about structural issues that may be internal to a wall. Those are things that you may not catch. You're talking about rebar that's (embedded) within concrete," he said.
Initial repair estimates totaled $5.31 million but later increased to approximately $5.6 million after additional damage was identified at Creech Road Elementary.
The district estimates repair costs at $1.73 million for Durant Road Elementary, $1.71 million for Davis Drive Elementary and $1.71 million for Creech Road Elementary, though the Creech Road estimate has since been adjusted upward. Independent verification of the completed repairs will add about $147,000 total, or approximately $49,000 per school.
Funding for the work will come from the district's Partial Renovation Improvement Projects budget, which currently has about $22 million available. District leaders said some future renovation projects may need to be delayed or adjusted.
Current projected completion dates are Aug. 17 for Durant Road Elementary and Aug. 21 for both Creech Road Elementary and Davis Drive Elementary.
Wake County Board of Education member Christina Gordon, who represents the Creech Road area, sought to reassure families.
"It is incredibly important to me that every student and staff member return to a building that is safe, reliable and prepared to support teaching and learning," Gordon said.
District leaders have also developed contingency plans if repairs are not completed before the first day of school.
Creech Road students could be relocated to the Garner Ninth Grade Center if necessary. Davis Drive students could be temporarily moved to the Morrisville High School site, though district officials said that option would present challenges related to space, parking and operations.
Durant Road Elementary students will relocate across the street to Abbotts Creek Elementary ahead of the start of classes on July 30. The temporary relocation will continue through Aug. 14.
"I know that there will be a time crunch to get the job done before Abbot's Creek starts their school year, but I know everyone involved will want to get the job done right," said Dr. Wing Ng, the District 3 representative on the Wake County school board.
As repairs continue, district leaders said they are also focused on accountability.
"Not knowing who these general contractors or subcontractors were 35 years ago, we certainly want to hold any person accountable for public tax dollars," Taylor said.
Wake County Public School System officials said they will provide public construction updates every five days and maintain a webpage tracking progress.
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