Days after announcing Asheville school closure, ACS to explore possibility of staying open

ASHEVILLE - Two days after the Asheville City Schools district announced it would close a West Asheville elementary school next year as it undergoes "extensive renovations," the district sent out a new notice: It will take a "pause" and look at ways it could possibly keep the school open with students in attendance.

The update was sent to parents via ParentSquare, its primary communication platform, at 3:30 p.m. March 7. The initial announcement was made at a March 5 "parent team" meeting held at the school, Lucy S. Herring Elementary, one of the district's five magnet elementary schools with a focus on the natural environment.

The original plan would relocate the school's around 250 students to the district's other elementary schools for the 2024-25 school year.

Parents reacted with shock and devastation. The news "blindsided" them, Thomas Lodwick, a Lucy Herring parent, told the Citizen Times March 6.

Other parents called it a "communication debacle," fearing that the temporary closure would become permanent. Some worried that any delays in construction would push relocation longer and longer.

What is the renovation project?

"I first want to thank you for sharing your feedback, suggestions, and ideas on the upcoming construction at LSH. I, along with the Board have heard your concerns about having to relocate the students to other schools and the significant impact this will have on them. I apologize this announcement took you by surprise," Superintendent Maggie Fehrman said in the March 7 message to parents.

"I ask for your patience and invite you to help us explore viable options to keep students in the building while the construction takes place."

Information about a construction project of this "magnitude" should have been shared over a year ago when initial plans were drafted, she said. "I have already put proactive steps and accountability measures in place to ensure this never happens again."

Fehrman began with the district July 17. She is its seventh superintendent in 10 years.

Construction is scheduled to start in mid-June and estimated to be completed in fall 2025. The more than 40-year-old building needs renovations, including upgrades to heating and cooling systems, new bathrooms, all new mechanical systems, a new ceiling and roof, all new windows, kitchen upgrades, and a three-tiered security vestibule.

The $8.2 million project was approved previously by the School Capital Fund Commission and Board of Commissioners. As a capital commission project, the major source of revenue for the fund is from the Article 39 sales tax. A portion of the tax is allocated for local school capital projects, such as new buildings and repairs, under a 1983 state law.

Regardless of what decision is made, or if another solution is found, Fehrman said the district will still need to relocate the pre-K class to Hall Fletcher Elementary School, and cannot enroll new LSH kindergarten students. This is due to the requirements for pre-K and kindergarten classrooms, Fehrman said.

"I must stress the magnitude of this renovation project and the impact it will have on teaching and learning as well as the possible impact on the health, wellness, and the safety of our students and staff," she said in the message. "If you know that staying at LSH during construction is not a good option for your child, you still have the option to complete the transfer form for the 2024-2025 school year."

Parents react

Marcos Harkness, a Lucy Herring parent of a second-grader, said the district's message still contains some "squishy language" — it's unclear what exploring possibilities may look like, and nothing is certain — but it was "heartening" to know parents had gotten the attention of the district, and that there was a promise of a dialogue moving forward.

At a March 7 meeting at Malvern Hills Park, less than a mile from the school, parents met only a few hours after the update. There they brainstormed and commiserated, generating sheets of ideas to keep students together — whether by utilizing trailers, a different building or getting creative about keeping classes whole.

After the initial announcement, Harkness said there was "horrible shock." Grief and sorrow. Despair. His sentiment echoes that of others the Citizen Times spoke with in the day after the decision, like parent James Rogers, who said it left him "reeling."

“We are still determined to fight for keeping the school together, keeping the kids together and the classes,” Harkness said. To scatter its students, he said, would mean losing the work parents have done to build a community around the school.

The district's announcement comes on the heels of Asheville Primary School's closure two years prior, and in the midst of ongoing reconfiguration conversations, as the district considers the potential consolidation of Montford North Star Academy with Asheville Middle School. Meanwhile, in the same West Asheville neighborhood, the beloved community pool in Malvern Hills Park has been closed for the summer as it struggles with needed repairs.

In the wake of Asheville Primary, Harkness said, "it's up to ACS to regain our trust."

After Fehrman's update, and after the meeting at the park, he has allowed himself to feel a "guarded sense of hope." He looks forward to beginning "constructive conversations."

What's next?

Fehrman will host an "in-depth" construction meeting at Lucy Herring at 5:30 p.m. March 14 in the planetarium. Ronnie Lunsford, general facilities project manager for Buncombe County General Services, and representatives from Vannoy construction, the contractor for the renovations, will be in attendance.

The meeting will provide visuals of how areas of the school will be impacted and a tentative schedule for how students and staff could be moved if they opt to remain in the building.

More: West Asheville elementary school to close for a year; 'Shell-shocked,' parents say

Sarah Honosky is the city government reporter for the Asheville Citizen Times, part of the USA TODAY Network. News Tips? Email [email protected] or message on Twitter at @slhonosky. Please support local, daily journalism with a subscription to the Citizen Times.

This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: ACS to explore ways to keep Lucy Herring open for 2024-25