Fall River School Committee votes in favor of new Durfee

The Fall River School Committee unanimously voted in favor of authorizing the construction of a new Durfee High School in a special meeting at Kuss Middle School Tuesday evening.

As you may recall, the proposed new Durfee school would create a new 501,330 square foot facility on the site of the current Durfee. Some of the plan consists of large group “open space learning” that would accommodate 15-20 students suitable for projects and also a sensory garden. The current facility suffers from deficiencies in mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems. The building also suffers from window/roofing deficiencies and additional issues, which, according to the school district, makes it unable to deliver a proper education to the students.

This is all dependent on city residents approving the project, however. The new Durfee High School proposal will be put in front of Fall River voters in a special vote some time early in 2018. The school’s price tag of approximately $240 million dollars will mainly be paid by the state (up to 80 percent), but some of the cost would fall on Fall River taxpayers which has caused concern for residents. Some Fall Riverites have expressed the option of fixing the current Durfee building. The Massachusetts School Building Authority, however has stated it will not pay for renovations as the school is obsolete.

The next Durfee School Building Committee meeting is Tuesday December 19th at 4:30 p.m. in the Durfee library and is open to the public.

To learn more about the proposed Durfee and how they plan to incorporate Durfee history, here is as an essay by Fall River School Committee member Edward Costar. Durfee Building For The Future