Students, parents urge Roanoke County board to keep Burton Center arts program integrated with CTE

Dozens of students, parents and educators urged the Roanoke County School Board on Monday to keep the Burton Center visual-arts program physically connected to other student programs instead of moving it into the new CTE (Career and Technical Education) building.

"The new RCCTC building was designed without a thought to include the arts programs," said Die Dolini, a 12th-grade Hidden Valley High School student, during the non-agenda public-comment period. "What the school board is choosing to do by directly removing and isolating the students in the accelerated arts is bullying at its core."

Architect and parent John Dolini told the board that separating art from technical programs would reduce opportunities for collaboration that prepare students for real-world careers. "Collaboration, one of the most important skills of your sea-change framework, must be its lifeblood," he said, adding that artists and designers help shape products from hardware to packaging.

Oliver Hardy, a second-year visual-arts student, described the hands-on, in-person learning that will be lost if courses go online or relocate. "Next year's CVA students will take this class online, which is nowhere near the same experience as being in the classroom with our incredible CVA teachers," he said.

Several speakers tied arts programming to career pathways and district initiatives. Abigail Hood, a student speaker, said arts skills are used in marketing, architecture and digital design and asked the board to consider funding and placement that keep possibility open for students pursuing arts careers.

Dr. Ryan White, a local physician and parent, framed the program-location discussion within student well-being and community outcomes, noting that keeping arts and technology together fuels innovation and opportunity. He also urged the district to continue work on mental-health and suicide-prevention initiatives.

Board members listened but did not take action during public comment. Several members later praised the students for their civility and advocacy; follow-up decisions about the Burton Center's location and programming were not announced at the meeting.

The public speakers asked the board for clearer plans on how arts students will access CTE resources if they must move, and whether the district intends to preserve in-person instruction and collaboration opportunities. The board did not provide a timetable for a final decision during the meeting.

The issue is expected to resurface as the RCCTC construction progresses and the district finalizes program assignments for the new building.