Wake County (NC) Shifts $18.5 Million in School Construction Funds: Morrisville and Athens Drive Gain, Others Give Back
In a routine budget move, Wake County commissioners rebalanced leftover school-construction dollars, sending millions to Morrisville High and Athens Drive High while closing out aging capital funds
Raleigh, NC, Oct. 20, 2025 — When the Wake County Board of Commissioners met yesterday, one of the least-noticed items on its agenda quietly moved $18.5 million around the county’s school construction ledger, giving a boost to two big-ticket projects and redirecting the final dollars from older, completed ones.
The action, recommended by the Wake County Board of Education earlier in the month, drew no debate but represents a significant reshuffling inside the Capital Improvement Program (CIP), the long-range plan that funds new schools, renovations, and major facility repairs across the Wake County Public School System.
The Winners: Morrisville High and Athens Drive High
Morrisville High School was the clear winner. The Board of Commissioners approved an additional $10 million, bringing the project’s total to roughly $19.8 million.
That money will help transform what was originally designed as a middle school into a new high school campus, complete with a parking deck, pedestrian bridge, and athletic stadium, track, and field.
The shift reflects a change in county growth patterns: faster-than-expected population increases in western Wake have left the Morrisville area short on high-school capacity.
Another major beneficiary is Athens Drive High School in southwest Raleigh.
It gained $6.8 million for an expanded gymnasium and lobby addition, plus major HVAC and central-plant upgrades to meet current space and energy standards.
Both schools are part of the county’s effort to modernize existing campuses while keeping up with booming enrollment.
The Small But Symbolic Move: $22,057 from 2006
The smallest line item, just $22,057, came from the 2006 CIP School Revenues fund. That money had sat untouched after the last round of projects from nearly two decades ago wrapped up.
By sending it to Morrisville High, county finance staff effectively closed out the old 2006 CIP, sweeping its final balance into a current-day project. The transfer formally ends that early-2000s building era and redirects those dollars to where they’re now needed.
Playgrounds Also Gain
A third category, Lifecycle and Playground Equipment, will receive about $1.7 million to replace or resurface playgrounds at ten elementary schools. County officials said the goal is to improve safety and reduce maintenance costs as older surfaces and equipment reach end-of-life status.
Who Gave Up Funds
While no school lost its overall investment, the reallocation drew from completed or under-budget projects across the district. According to the resolutions, dollars were shifted away from:
Apex High, Fuquay-Varina High, Barton Pond Elementary, Stough Elementary, North Ridge Elementary, and Garner High, among others.
Each of those schools had money left in its capital account after construction wrapped up or bids came in below estimates. Those surpluses were collected and redirected to higher-priority needs.
In short, no active project was cut, but several “closed” ones became the source of new momentum elsewhere.
Why the Shuffle Happens
Wake County’s school-construction program functions much like a multi-year household budget. When one job finishes under cost, the leftover funds stay inside the CIP until commissioners vote to move them. By law, the Board of Commissioners must approve any such reallocation, even if total county spending doesn’t increase. Yesterday’s vote kept the overall FY 2026 WCPSS capital budget unchanged at $412.8 million, simply rebalancing existing dollars rather than adding new ones.