{"id":11787,"date":"2024-03-27T21:27:28","date_gmt":"2024-03-27T21:27:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/9thstreetjournal.org\/?p=11787"},"modified":"2024-04-03T18:25:08","modified_gmt":"2024-04-03T18:25:08","slug":"residents-urge-school-board-to-reconsider-dsa-move","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/9thstreetjournal.org\/2024\/03\/27\/residents-urge-school-board-to-reconsider-dsa-move\/","title":{"rendered":"Residents urge school board to reconsider DSA move"},"content":{"rendered":"
Durham residents urged the Board of Education to pause before moving forward with the construction of a new campus for Durham School of the Arts at an hours-long meeting Thursday evening.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Twelve past and present DSA students, parents and neighbors of both the current campus and the proposed campus in North Durham spoke before the board with passion. Some were concerned that construction costs would take money away from much-needed renovation projects at other Durham schools. Others said a move from the school\u2019s current downtown campus would inconvenience DSA families and cause traffic problems in the new location.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Motivated for different reasons, the dissenters united around a singular message: the board should \u201cpause, assess and engage.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n In November 2022, voters supported a bond referendum that awarded $423.5 million to Durham schools for renovation and construction projects. At the time, DPS leaders said they would prioritize constructing new campuses for Durham School of the Arts and Murray-Messenburg Elementary and fully renovating six other schools across the Bull City.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n But a year later, district officials said the bond money was no longer enough to cover all eight projects, citing rising construction costs. In a November 2023 school board meeting, then-Superintendent Pascal Mubenga <\/span>recommended prioritizing just four projects<\/span><\/a>: renovations at Glenn and Morehead Montessori elementaries and construction of two new schools, Mussay-Massenburg Elementary and a new DSA.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n DSA\u2019s current campus, which includes buildings over 100 years old, is located downtown between Duke and Gregson Streets. Fred Davis, the district\u2019s director of building services, said renovating the historic campus would cost around $371 million<\/span>.\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n In December 2023<\/span><\/a>, the board approved plans for a new $240 million campus in North Durham, <\/span>despite pushback<\/span><\/a> about the cost \u2014 the price tag was nearly double an earlier estimation of $120 million.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Set to open in 2026, renderings of the campus feature outdoor spaces, classrooms for arts programming and increased capacity. Board member Jovonia Lewis praised the plans: \u201cLooking at the pictures, it looks like a college campus,\u201d she said.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n But some students, parents and neighbors are not happy. At Thursday\u2019s meeting, talk of the school\u2019s move dominated public comment.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Dara Baldwin, a DSA alum and current mentor to students, said the school\u2019s downtown location gives students a sense of independence and community. She noted that many students commute by foot, bike or public transportation, and some have after-school jobs nearby.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cIt seems like a waste to build a new building instead of repairing the old one,\u201d she said. \u201cThere is a lot of history in the building, both good and bad, but I think new students and new community coming in and sharing those spaces would improve Durham as it is downtown.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Anne Zerrilla, a retired DPS educator, lives near the site of the new campus in Duke Homestead Heights. She said increased traffic from the school would negatively impact the surrounding neighborhood, where narrow, potholed roads are common.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cIt doesn\u2019t make sense to build this humongous school in a neighborhood that doesn\u2019t support the infrastructure,\u201d she said in an agitated tone.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Others were concerned that the construction would <\/span>take money away<\/span><\/a> from renovation projects at other schools.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Though the 2022 bond was intended to fund eight school projects, renovations are now <\/span>on hold<\/span><\/a> at four of those schools: Holt, Bethesda, Club Boulevard and Mangum elementaries.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Parents of students at Club Boulevard Elementary and Morehead Montessori Elementary listed a host of long-deferred maintenance issues at their children\u2019s schools. A lack of working toilets, faulty HVAC systems, broken classroom technology, and more limit their children\u2019s education, they said.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThis is unacceptable,\u201d said Theresa Dowell Blackinton, the mother of two Club Boulevard students. \u201cWe\u2019re asking that our students\u2019 basic needs be met \u2014 that they have a safe, functioning building where they can learn.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n