A developer in New Hanover County plans to donate 25 acres of land for an elementary school. This arrangement is a win-win for the school system and the developer. Obviously, the school system gets free land in an area where land is expensive and hard to come by. The developer, TF Holdings, gets an amenity attractive to parents, a school within walking distance to their home. TF Holdings plans to build a 2,000 home subdivision on land adjacent to the school. The location of the school will increase the value and desirability of the homes in the subdivision, which will increase the developer’s profit.
With the current bussing and assignment policy in place, developers in Wake County are less likely to donate land for schools or even propose public-private partnerships with Wake County Schools. There is no guarantee that students in a subdivision will be assigned to the closest school – even one adjacent to their subdivision. That is a raw deal for developers and a risk proposition for parents.
