Legislative Agenda, Budget, and DSA Plans Up for School Board Discussion

Demolition and asbestos abatement ahead of construction of the new Durham School of the Arts could move forward if the Durham Public Schools Board of Education approves $325,819 in funding for that phase.

The board is set to discuss that proposal, with Monteith Construction/Balfour Realty Joint Venture in Association with Right Build International, during Thursday’s monthly meeting.

The joint venture is responsible for bringing in construction trade and specialty contractors to help with the new $210 million DSA project, which is expected to be 337,500 square feet when finished, serving about 2,000 students from sixth to 12^th grade.

Features of the future campus include:

• Consolidated campus centered around an outdoor courtyard.
• Music building with band, orchestra, piano lab, guitar classrooms, and an 800-seat concert hall.
• Theater building with dance, drama, choral, and theater tech classrooms, as well as a 150-seat black box and a 500-seat theater.
• Gym building with separate facilities for middle- and high-school students.
• Counseling suite next to cafeteria and media center.

In this phase, the contractors would demolish old buildings on the Duke Homestead site and perform site work and asbestos abatement.

Other topics on the agenda include:

• Discussion and adoption of the 2024-25 DPS Board of Education Budget ahead of a meeting with Durham County commissioners.
• An update from Kerry Crutchfield, the comptroller hired by DPS to make recommendations for a final salary schedule recommendation for classified workers.
• The DPS legislative agenda.

Items on the consent agenda, which could be approved by the board without discussion, include:

• Allocating $2 million of the district’s School Nutrition Services fund balance to cover a shortfall created by classified worker salary increases, benefits, and food and supply costs.
• Spending $161,594 of federal ESSER funds to buy floor finish and stripper for a districtwide deep-cleaning project this summer. Also, $101,990 for floor cleaner, disinfectant, and general cleaning supplies for that project.
• Spending $122,630 to use Duke University’s Cameron Indoor Stadium for rehearsal and commencement ceremonies of the district’s six largest high schools.
• Revising the 2024-25 instructional school calendars, making June 11 the last day of school for traditional and year-round students and turning three optional teacher workdays into required workdays.

The monthly meeting is set for 6:30 p.m. at the Fuller Building on Cleveland Street in downtown Durham.