RALEIGH - Two months after Wake County voters approved a record $970 million construction bond issue, school administrators said Tuesday that they will need to ask for another bond vote as soon as 2008 to keep up with faster-than-expected growth among high school students.

Board members said they want to schedule a meeting soon with county commissioners, mayors, town councils and chambers of commerce to discuss growth and the timing of the next bond issue. They did not take action on scheduling the bond issue.

"The numbers look fairly scary," said school board member Susan Parry.

The financial model developed by the county called for the next bond issue of $822 million to be voted on in 2008 or 2009.

Chuck Dulaney, assistant superintendent for growth and planning, said the schools received enrollment projections this fall from N.C. State University based on housing permits from the various municipalities. Although the overall projection of 32,000 more students by 2010 still stands, Dulaney said projections showed more growth among older students.

Dulaney said the schools need to accelerate the opening of two new high schools by one year -- to 2011 -- to accommodate the older students. That means they would need the money by January 2009.

If the high schools aren't built sooner, Dulaney said, high schools such as Knightdale and Wakefield could have close to or more than 3,000 students by 2011.

Dulaney said they might defer some elementary schools that were in the latest bond issue but that wouldn't be enough to pay for the two new high schools, which would cost more than $70 million each.

Although Dulaney said it's possible that some alternative form of funding could emerge for the high schools, Mike Burriss, assistant superintendent for facilities, said bonds are the realistic option.

Pushing up the bond issue a year, which the commissioners would have to approve, wouldn't be easy. It would require an increase in property taxes, potentially $84.75 more per year on a $150,000 home, according to county budget models.

"I'm scared about putting anything for a building program in 2008," said school board member Lori Millberg. "We know what a big fight we had last year."

It also would be a challenge due to the recent squabbling between the school board and commissioners. The school board voted to continue converting 22 schools to a year-round calendar even after commissioners tried to block the changes earlier this month.

If the next bond issue is rejected, Dulaney said, high schools will have to operate on split sessions, with some students attending classes in the morning and others in the late afternoon.

One of the big questions facing the school board is which high schools to build next. The recent bond issue covers the construction of two high schools and the purchase of land for two more.

The board will definitely build Heritage High School in Wake Forest, for which the district owns land. But it will need to decide which of three other proposed high schools it needs to build now and which two to risk in the next bond vote. The three high schools would be built in northeastern, southern and southwestern Wake.