Durham Public Schools needs to address an array of maintenance issues, and the bill may total nearly $1 billion over the next decade, a consultant told the school board late last month.
On May 22, a representative of Turner & Townsend Heery unveiled findings of a months-long study that concluded that the cost of tackling the system’s most urgent needs—the priciest of which are mechanical and electrical fixes, and painting—could run to about $540 million.
The analysis covered 6-million square feet of DPS property, and its findings include both schools and administrative buildings.
“The numbers that you all have presented… are kind of staggering to me,” board member Natalie Beyer said.
The report comes a year after parents at some elementary schools complained to The 9th Street Journal about leaky roofs, broken outdoor equipment, non-functioning HVAC systems and other facility problems.
“Our maintenance teams are incredible, some of the Band Aid solutions they’ve had to come up with,” said Devan Mitchell from DPS Building Services.
Jessica Killian, vice president of Turner & Townsend Heery, said that for most elementary schools, the majority of the funds needed will go to immediate repairs. That’s the case for 68% of elementary schools and about 83% of high schools.
Bar charts showed that middle schools are the outliers—only 22% need more funding now than they will need in the next ten years.
These costs are for ‘like-for-like’ replacements, meaning money would go only to replacing, for example, a gas-fired boiler with a new gas-fired boiler, Killian said. It does not factor in equipment upgrades and renovations, such as an all-electric boiler.
She explained that the 10-year, $966 million estimate did not consider environmental sustainability efforts, which would be an extra cost. But she did suggest to the board that investing in environmental-friendly systems and products may be cheaper in the long run.
Julie McLaurin, a principal and client leader of DLR Group, which worked with Turner & Townsend Heery, showed the board that 2,929 people—students, alumni, DPS employees, parents, and community partners such as businesses—had participated in conversations, workshops, interviews and surveys. She said they engaged 88% of schools in a survey of educators.
This feedback has been funneled into a new document called Learning Environment Guidelines (LEGs), which will set standards for schools and will be a roadmap for later development projects. Mitchell said it will serve as “our north star for the future of our facilities.”
She emphasized the need for consistency across the district in the layout and size of buildings, as well as in the conditions of each building.
Killian and school officials said next steps will involve a funding discussion that includes bond planning as part of a 10-year capital improvement plan.
Every decade, DPS puts together a new capital improvement plan. The one for 2025-2035 is already in the works, board chair Millicent Rogers said in an interview.
Unlike her colleagues, Rogers feels that the $1 billion estimate “is not surprising.” Ten years ago, when the last comprehensive assessment took place, the financial ask was similar (when you account for inflation), according to Rogers.
At the meeting, board member Jessica Carda-Auten felt differently: “What we need to do for this district is, frankly, very overwhelming.”
In any case, funding DPS’ maintenance needs is a priority for the board, Rogers said. “Student success is always a top issue,’’ she said, “and capital improvement leads to student success.”
