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Renovation plan will refresh Virginia School for the Deaf and the Blind | newsleader.com | The News Leader
Big changes are coming for the Virginia School for the Deaf and the Blind. The Staunton school will welcome 20 new students this month from its sister campus in Hampton.
The Hampton campus closed earlier this summer, effectively ending three decades of debate about consolidating the two state schools.
Consolidation also will bring change to the physical layout of the Staunton campus, which Superintendent Nancy Armstrong said will position the school for future growth. The General Assembly this spring approved $71 million for those brick-and-mortar changes, expected to occur in phases over the next three years.
Karen Trump, director of state schools for the Virginia Department of Education, said care was taken to try and preserve the historical character of the campus, with early plans redrawn after further consultation with the division of historical resources.
The current building plans show new life for some of the Staunton campus's historic buildings, though the future of others not included in the new education program remains uncertain. Buildings at the center of campus will find new uses — at Bass Hall and Stuart, Swanson and Perry. The groundbreaking this fall of a new maintenance building will allow for the demolition of the old one, providing space in the heart of the campus to build a new, three-story education building intended to house middle and high school programs. New dorms will spring up next summer on the sites where Carter and Harrison halls now stand.
Big changes are coming for the Virginia School for the Deaf and the Blind. The Staunton school will welcome 20 new students this month from its sister campus in Hampton.
The Hampton campus closed earlier this summer, effectively ending three decades of debate about consolidating the two state schools.
Consolidation also will bring change to the physical layout of the Staunton campus, which Superintendent Nancy Armstrong said will position the school for future growth. The General Assembly this spring approved $71 million for those brick-and-mortar changes, expected to occur in phases over the next three years.
Karen Trump, director of state schools for the Virginia Department of Education, said care was taken to try and preserve the historical character of the campus, with early plans redrawn after further consultation with the division of historical resources.
The current building plans show new life for some of the Staunton campus's historic buildings, though the future of others not included in the new education program remains uncertain. Buildings at the center of campus will find new uses — at Bass Hall and Stuart, Swanson and Perry. The groundbreaking this fall of a new maintenance building will allow for the demolition of the old one, providing space in the heart of the campus to build a new, three-story education building intended to house middle and high school programs. New dorms will spring up next summer on the sites where Carter and Harrison halls now stand.