Press release from Asheville City Schools:
Asheville City Schools is launching an extensive renovation to update Lucy S. Herring Elementary School, one of five schools of choice in the district for young scholars to learn, discover and thrive.
Construction is scheduled to take place at Lucy S. Herring beginning mid-June 2024 and estimated to be completed fall 2025. The renovations will tremendously improve the experience for students, faculty, and staff.
“Through our construction planning process, it became evident the renovations needed are more extensive than we anticipated,” said Dr. Maggie Fehrman, Superintendent, Asheville City Schools. “The scope of the project is going to have a more significant impact than originally planned on how our students can utilize the building and the outdoor play areas. Careful planning has gone into how to accomplish these construction updates and accommodate students in the safest and most conducive learning environment possible.”
The building, which is more than four decades old, needs extensive renovations, including: upgrades to the heating and cooling systems, new bathrooms, all new mechanical systems, a new ceiling, a new roof, all new windows, kitchen upgrades and a three-tiered security vestibule.
These upgrades will impact the playground area, the gym and the cafeteria. In addition, teachers will have to move their classrooms three times in the span of one school year, specialists will be displaced from their classrooms and the media center will not be accessible for half of the school year.
“The decision has been made to relocate the students at Lucy S. Herring to our other four elementary schools for the 2024-25 school year due to the potential noise disruptions and to avoid potential health hazards for our students and staff,” said Dr. Fehrman. “This decision was made in collaboration with school and district leadership and with great consideration for what is in the best interest of everyone in the building.”
To make the transition as smooth as possible, the district is scheduling times for Lucy S. Herring parents to tour the other four elementary schools to help families make a well-informed decision for next school year. The district will prioritize that siblings are placed in the same school. They are also working collaboratively with Lucy S. Herring staff to determine which school they would like to move to for the 2024-2025 school year.
“We understand that the relocation will cause inconvenience, and we are committed to making this transition as smooth as possible,” said Dr. Fehrman. “We will be providing regular updates on the construction process to all Asheville City Schools stakeholders and will work to minimize the impact on students and their families as much as we possibly can.”
Visit ashevillecityschools.net for construction updates.
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