JOHNSTON COUNTY -- The rising costs of oil and metals could delay the building of two new high schools scheduled to open by 2010.

High schools for the Cleveland and Corinth-Holder communities are designed to ease crowding at West Johnston, Clayton and Smithfield-Selma high schools. The Board of Education had hoped to build the schools for about $30 million a piece.

But the prices of oil, copper and steel in particular have more than doubled since 2006, when the county projected the cost of the schools. Assistant Superintendent Ann Williams, who oversees school building, said the increases in raw materials had driven up the cost of everything from electrical wiring to plumbing to roofing.

For example, Williams said, the cost of copper rose in May to a record $4.26 per pound. That means 4-inch copper piping now costs about $40 per foot, she said. Meanwhile, Williams said, the cost of steel has skyrocketed over the last year. A ton of steel cost $530 in May, up from $257 last June.

Now the schools could cost $42.5 million each, and the additional expense has sent county and school leaders back to the financial drawing board. Williams said officials from both boards are working to renegotiate contracts with the winning bidders.

Barring significant savings, the county must prepare to pay as much as $25 million more for the new schools, said County Commissioners’ Chairwoman Cookie Pope. She said the county has asked the N.C. Local Government Commission for advice.

“We have been to the LGC and are looking at various and sundry ways of funding these projects,” Pope said. “We’re looking at different scenarios right now.”

Pope declined to describe the possible scenarios except to say that they could include halting construction of one school to allow for completion of the other. But she said she hoped that wouldn’t happen.

Officials at the Local Government Commission were not available for comment.

“We need both of these schools to open at the same time,” Pope said. “There is such massive overcrowding in those areas. We need these schools open to help relieve that problem.”

Both County Commissioners and school leaders are expected to address the issue during their July meetings. Kay Carroll, chairman of the Johnston County Board of Education, said he remained optimistic about the schools’ completion despite concerns over their funding.

“We went into this process with a lot of apprehension,” Carroll said. “And the way the market is, we don’t have any idea what still could happen. But we’re also on a time frame. We have a limited window of opportunity to build these schools. So based on everything I know so far, we should hopefully still be on schedule.”