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District eyes new high school instead of Jefferson Center

Roanoke school leaders say a brand-new third high school is the best option to alleviate overcrowding but have abandoned Jefferson Center as a potential site. 

Administrators recommend the district explore building a new comprehensive or magnet high school for 1,450 students, which could cost more than $150 million to construct, according to a district pamphlet.

School board members will be briefed on the updated plans later this month; a scheduled briefing Tuesday was pushed back because of the winter weather.

The school district has been exploring how to expand since an August report showed Patrick Henry and William Fleming high schools have 20 percent more students than they can handle.

Superintendent Verletta White floated the idea of turning Jefferson Center into an arts and sciences magnet school, an idea local leaders praised. But Jefferson Center last month took its name out of the running, citing the district’s further exploration of that option.

“We only know that early results were showing that Jefferson Center’s facilities, even after renovations, would not come close to being able to meet the student capacity needs,” Aaron Kelderhouse, a spokesman for the performing arts venue, said in an email. 

Since 2023, the nonprofit Jefferson Center has sought $6 million from the city, which owns the building, for capital needs.

A district report dated Tuesday says Jefferson Center could only handle 360 students, which “would not address overcrowding.” It would also be too expensive to renovate the building, which served as a high school for 50 years until the 1970s, the report says.

“Constructing a new, third high school provides a long-term solution that combines academic innovation with practical needs like equitable facilities and room for future growth,” according to the report. “This would also keep the door open for the development of a dedicated magnet program, giving students unique opportunities to explore specialized fields. By adding a third high school, RCPS can create a balanced system where each school offers focused career pathways.” 

Depending on the results — such as more specific cost estimates or site availability — the district could revisit an option of expanding the existing high schools, the report says.

The downsides to expanding Patrick Henry and William Fleming? The district’s update says adding classroom wings to hold 450 students at each school “addresses [short-term] needs but limits scalability, would worsen traffic, and could push schools into higher athletic divisions, increasing travel, costs, and challenges with athletic parity.” That option comes with a price tag estimate of at least $50 million.

Housing authority resumes vouchers

Roanoke’s public housing agency has resumed issuing housing vouchers after pausing the program in October for the first time in a decade.

Before 2025 rolled around, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) provided more funding to continue the program, commonly known as Section 8, according to the housing authority. The agency previously said it was awaiting about $1.4 million.

The program allows those with low incomes to find affordable housing in the private market. About 100 Roanoke families were left in limbo as rent prices increased.

While the voucher waitlist “has slowly reopened,” the agency said, the housing authority anticipates it will once again be short of cash sometime this year. 

Demand for subsidized housing in Roanoke remains high.

About 4,300 individuals are on a waitlist for housing vouchers. In the last two years, the housing authority granted vouchers to about 200 individuals.

New nonstop comes to Roanoke airport

Starting Friday, Roanoke’s airport will add a ninth city to its nonstop list.

Allegiant Air will fly direct to Sarasota Bradenton International Airport in Florida. The carrier already flies direct to Orlando and St. Petersburg.

For several months in 2022 and 2023, Allegiant flew direct to Nashville, Tennessee, which marked the first new route in more than 15 years for the Roanoke-Blacksburg Regional Airport. That flight has since been discontinued.

Allegiant Air’s website shows roundtrip flights on Fridays and Mondays to Sarasota. The weekend jaunt cost less than $200, according to different day combinations in February. 

Roanoke’s airport reported last month that 2024 marked a record year, with more than 756,000 passengers taking trips. That reflected a 2.8 percent increase over the previous record set in 2000, according to a press release.

Outside Florida, the Roanoke airport’s nonstop services are limited to Atlanta, Charlotte, Chicago, New York, Philadelphia and Washington, D.C.