Could closing old schools in Durham help fix a $2B infrastructure crisis?
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- 36.5% of Durham’s public school buildings are in poor or critical condition.
- An assessment found that about $2 billion is needed to fix aging schools.
- The era of small neighborhood schools in Durham could come to an end.
Durham’s public school buildings are aging faster than the school system can afford to fix them.
For decades, Durham’s neighborhood elementary schools have been defined by small, historic buildings tucked into communities serving just a few hundred students.
The problem, officials say, is that some of these schools are now 75 years old and have already been “patched” four or five times.
With even the average Durham school building 59 years old, “the cost to repair, versus the cost to replace, doesn’t make good financial sense,” said Devin Mitchell, the school planning program administrator.
He presented a 10-year plan this week that targets small schools for potential closure and consolidation, as over a third of the school district’s buildings are in “significantly poor or critical condition.”
A Facilities Condition Assessment has identified about $965 million in replacement needs, like new roofs and HVAC systems. But that is a rough number and handles the most immediate needs. In total, Durham Public Schools needs about $2 billion to bring the entire district up to 21st-century standards.
“We are moving from a place of being reactive to being proactive in terms of how we operate as a school system,” Mitchell said.
The schools watch list
Small schools that serve fewer than 450 students on sites less than 10 acres are being eyed for consolidations to create “model schools” that hold 700 to 800 students, Mitchell said.
- Downtown Merger: Club Boulevard and George Watts elementary schools, both over 75 years old with failing systems, could be combined and moved to the current Durham School of the Arts (DSA) property.
- Eastway Expansion: Y.E. Smith Elementary could be combined into Eastway Elementary, making a more modern campus on 14.5 acres.
- Northern High School and Lowe’s Grove Middle School are being studied for joint use, future housing or sale.
Additionally, there are 16 unnamed schools that are being monitored for enrollment trends and facility health.
The growth of DPS
While the school system has seen some decline in enrollment, DPS estimates getting about 4,802 additional students over the next decade to grow to nearly 36,000 students.
To meet that growth, the school system needs three new elementary schools, two middle schools, and one high school with an investment of about $482 million.
In 2022, Durham County voters passed a $423.5 million bond to renovate public schools and construct two new schools. The bond also covered the relocation of DSA, which has over 1,800 students, to a larger campus several miles from downtown.
However, with the rise in construction costs, those projects cost about $624 million. That leaves a $200 million shortfall to finish what was promised.
As the district weighs its options, current students and staff are stuck waiting.
Jackson Webb, a first-year teacher at Southern High School, told the school board at a Thursday meeting that for the past five days, the temperature in his classroom has not fallen “below 80 degrees.”
“An [exceptional children’s] teacher at my school had her room come in at 85 degrees the last three days,” he said. “So, I’m very curious, is this what reverence for teachers looks like?”
Patricia Russick, a teacher at Little River Montessori, said mold and air quality issues at the elementary school are causing rashes, cough, headaches and other health issues for some.
“Experts were called, reports were written, wallpaper remains dirty, stained carpet remains,” she said. “Our children, teachers and staff leave everyday spaces that are still not clean. Where’s the action? ... Clean air should not be a privilege.”
What’s next?
School board member Jessica Carda-Auten said safe and adequate schools are the “foundation for a health society,” and if the bus can’t get kids or if they are sitting in hot classrooms, then students will go to other schools.
“When you educate your population well, what you’re doing is you’re providing people with the skills and the abilities to go out in their community and get the jobs that they need to build a successful economy,” she said. “You’re making them healthier citizens.”
The full FCA will be presented to the school board at its May 22 meeting. After that, the school system will launch a community engagement schedule. The final 10-year plan is set to be completed by 2027.