It’s Wednesday, May 8.
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Good morning, readers.
I remember taking tests in Durham Public Schools classrooms so hot that we had to towel off our forearms every few minutes to avoid smearing our answer sheets, so it was sobering to hear parents tell the 9th Street Journal this week that HVAC issues are still getting in the way of academics at schools across the district.
“My daughter in fourth grade, her classroom was never under 80 degrees this entire school year,” says Theresa Dowell Blackinton, a parent of a Club Boulevard Elementary student. “They can’t learn if they’re so hot and uncomfortable. You’ve just got your hierarchy of basic needs. If you’re not meeting those bottom-level needs, you can’t expect kids to perform at their best.”
Electrical and plumbing problems are also a concern. And at some schools, including E.K. Powe, “inspections have found evidence of mold, and parents worry that the district is moving too slowly to eliminate it.”
A $423.5 million bond referendum that voters passed in 2022 was supposed to cover renovations at Club Boulevard, Bethesda Elementary, Glenn Elementary, Holt Elementary, Mangum Elementary, and Morehead Elementary. But the $91 million construction of the new Murray-Massenburg Elementary School, which will open to students this fall and the projected $241 million construction of a new Durham School of the Arts campus put a mighty big dent in that funding. Renovations at Club Elementary, Morehead, Bethesda, and Mangum Elementary have been postponed.
Some students, parents, and community members are urging the district to reconsider the plan to build a new DSA (which was originally estimated to cost just $120 million) and instead channel the funds toward renovating the existing campus and the four schools on the waitlist.
Have a good Wednesday.
—Lena
Editor’s note: In our newsletter yesterday, we wrote that the state’s school voucher program is to assist students who want to attend charter schools. In fact it is for students who want to attend private schools.
Durham
Leaders of the Duke Climate Coalition reflect on a past year of activism. Read more about the students’ effort here.
Wake
The Raleigh City Council voted 5-2 to change council member terms from two-year to four-year staggered terms with a primary beginning in 2026, without putting the proposal to a referendum. A resolution to add district seats to the council was tabled.
Wake County manager David Ellis has recommended a $2 billion county budget for the next fiscal year. More than half of the budget would go towards education, including $693 million for Wake County Public Schools, an increase of $49 million over the last fiscal year. The proposal also decreases the current property tax rate from 65.7 cents per every $100 of valuation to 51.05 cents per $100 valuation after property value assessments soared following the most recent revaluation.
Orange
Campus security, a chancellor’s departure, and clashes over free speech defined the academic year at UNC that’s now drawing to a close.
North Carolina
GOP gubernatorial candidate Mark Robinson struck a conciliatory tone on public schools at an education event in Raleigh this week.
Today’s weather
Cloudy with a high of 92 degrees, chance of storms.
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