In the fall of 2024, my daughter Sophie will begin Kindergarten in DPS. But Sophie won’t be going to the school we thought she would go to when we bought our house two years ago. Our neighborhood elementary school boundary was redrawn as a part of the Growing Together school assignment and policy changes. My husband and I, like many parents, immediately felt uncertain as our original plans for Sophie’s elementary school shifted (there are approximately 2,000 1st-3rd graders who will be in new schools in fall of 2024). But as we’ve worked through the surprise of change and have gotten to know our new neighborhood school, I feel proud to get to be a part of historic progress in Durham and so excited about Sophie’s future at C.C. Spaulding Elementary School.

In Durham, we pride ourselves on being a progressive beacon in the South. Knowing our history is essential for building a future that lives into these values. In 1992 the final vote was cast to merge the predominantly white Durham County and predominantly Black Durham City public school systems. Today, 30 years later, it’s easy to look back on that monumental change and see it as absolutely necessary for equitably resourced and integrated public schools. 

Today we would like to think that we would never accept a school system that is racially and socio-economically segregated, where some students have far greater access to programming and support that unlock their learning potential than others. 

The truth is that today in Durham our schools are racially and socio-economically segregated. And because we have not done a comprehensive update to school boundaries and policies since the City and County school systems merged, we have inequitable access to programming in schools. We also have school boundaries that aren’t right-sized with where people live today, meaning at some schools students are learning in trailers while in other schools classrooms sit empty. 

And we would like to think that the historic City and County school system merger 30 years ago was inevitable. But in fact it required enormous work, courage and optimism from so many people. It brought fear and the difficult and sometimes painful work of change. And it brought hope and a vision for a stronger, more equitable Durham that comes from shared opportunity to learn and grow together. 

I’ve talked with a lot of families who are processing what Growing Together changes will mean for their family and I’ve talked with a lot of families who didn’t know about these changes. What I hear over and over is that people see why these changes are needed but they ask that the changes don’t happen to their family. Families are asking that the plan be delayed. Families feel they need more time to understand the changes. Or if the plan has to proceed, their family needs an exception. These responses are completely normal. Change is incredibly hard and we’ve endured so much upheaval in recent years. 

But there are a lot of other conversations happening in living rooms and neighborhood corners across Durham about what will be gained through these changes. 

When Growing Together is implemented, every elementary school will have dedicated space for the arts and weekly world languages programming. Strong STEM programming will be integrated in every elementary school. And these updated school boundaries will mean that we can have truly integrated public schools if we choose them, with school populations that reflect the diversity of our community. 

When we found out our elementary school was changing my first feeling was disappointment that we wouldn’t be at Lakewood Elementary School, where we were previously zoned. It was one of the reasons we bought the house that we did. We’re now zoned for CC Spaulding Elementary, a school I didn’t know much about.

So I set out to begin learning about our new elementary school. I asked around and got connected to a family whose child goes to CC Spaulding. She raved about the school, the tight-knit community, strong academics, and a dynamite new principal. Then I reached out and had a conversation with Principal Hill-Davidson at CC Spaulding and saw for myself that she’s a deeply caring and knowledgeable school leader with an exciting vision for the school. This spring, my family will go to a school event to get to know more about the school’s culture and community. After those two conversations and a visit to the school, now I can picture my daughter thriving there and we are so excited about being a part of CC Spaulding. 

At DPS Foundation, an independent and community-rooted nonprofit, I work alongside a team made up of DPS alums, former teachers and future and current parents of DPS students. We’re all processing this change too and we’re here to do it with you. We will be supporting your schools in engaging families with events and school tours and will be in neighborhoods supporting families in learning about what these changes can mean for them. You can follow us @bullcityschools on social media or sign up for our email list at bullcityschools.org to find out about those over the coming year. For now, learn about the changes coming to DPS, talk with your neighbors and schedule a time to visit your neighborhood school together. 

This is an exciting moment for Durham. And we’re facing a choice right now of how we will navigate this change together. There is so much we can gain from these changes and ways they move us toward the stronger and more equitable Durham we all want. But realizing that vision calls on us to move through these changes together, with care and compassion and optimism. 

Magan Gonzales-Smith is the executive director of the Durham Public Schools Foundation.

Support independent local journalism. Join the INDY Press Club to help us keep fearless watchdog reporting and essential arts and culture coverage viable in the Triangle. Comment on this story at [email protected].