Below are answers to the most frequently asked questions about the Long Range Facilities Plan. If you do not see the answer to your question, visit our Ask a Question page to submit your own.
Why close Central High School?
After reviewing projections for the district’s future high school population and receiving feedback from the community, the school board decided that only two high schools would be necessary going forward. With that decision in mind, closing Central High School, as opposed to schools on the west and east sides of Duluth, made the most sense because:
- Students are located in the east and west neighborhoods. Keeping the high schools close to where students live will add convenience for students and parents, and will save transportation costs for the district. As can be clearly seen in this map, Duluth students are concentrated in the eastern and western areas of the community.
- Closing Central will save money and resources. In addition to the costs of repairing and modernizing Central, the land that the school sits on is worth as much as $10 million and its sale could generate substantial resources for the district’s repair of other schools. If Central High School were to remain as Duluth’s third high school, the district’s operating budget would increase by $1.7 million per year. This would require the district to find additional revenue, or cut district expenditures (for example, by increasing each class size by two students throughout the district).
- Closing Central decreases the local tax burden. Keeping a third high school would also increase the tax burden under the Long Range Facilities Plan, as the savings accrued from selling the Central property would not occur, and additional investments would need to be made to address Central’s deficiencies. As a result, closing Central decreases the tax burden on the local community.