Durham Public Schools proposes 10‑year capital plan, flags $965M repair backlog and possible school consolidations

Durham Public Schools officials on March 10 presented a draft 10‑year capital improvement plan that ranks aging facilities and outlines possible consolidations as part of an effort to address a large backlog of repairs.

Superintendent Dr. Lewis opened the presentation and emphasized that the plan is preliminary: "No decisions have been made," she said, calling the slides "an update of where we are and some of the things that they learned during that process." Kenneth Barnes, DPS chief operating officer, and Devin Mitchell walked the joint board through the task force’s assessment, which reviewed every school and support facility and vetted priorities with maintenance, planning and financial consultants.

Mitchell told the board that facility work was categorized into maintenance/repair, facility modernization, new construction, and closure/consolidation. He said 36.5% of district facilities are in "significantly poor or critical condition" and cited a previously discussed external estimate of about $965,000,000 for maintenance and repairs — a figure he said is under additional review and "probably higher." He added that 56% of needed repairs should occur within the first five years of the plan.

On enrollment, Mitchell said districtwide projections are generally flat through 2035, which reduces pressure for new schools but increases the need to reinvest in the existing portfolio. He defined a "small school" as an elementary site with fewer than 450 students and generally under 10 acres, and said roughly 16 schools fit that category and are on a watch list for enrollment and facility health.

Mitchell identified two consolidation possibilities for Increment 1: combining Club Elementary and George Watts (both more than 75 years old) potentially at the Durham School of the Arts site, and moving YE Smith students to Eastway Elementary (which has about 14.5 acres) if Eastway is expanded. He also noted central‑services consolidation options, including combining the Fuller Building, the staff‑development center and Bacon Street functions.

The report is in final drafting with cost estimating underway; Mitchell said DPS expects to complete the current report work in April and then collaborate with the county from May to October before finalizing project choices for Increment 1. He repeatedly framed the rollout as incremental and cautioned that phasing and market conditions influence how many projects the district can handle at once.

What’s next: DPS said feasibility studies and further cost estimates will be available in April, and the boards will return to the plan as data and financing clarity improve.