Community weighs in on future of historic Ligon Magnet Middle School
RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) -- ABC11 is getting a better idea of the timeframe for the future of a historical Black school in Raleigh, which still stands as a piece of civil rights history.
For the many people who walked through its doors, Ligon Magnet Middle School has been a source of great memories. Now there are concerns about its future.
"All my older sisters and brothers graduated from Ligon High School," said Louis Archibald. "Hopefully they come up with a good solution, but please don't tear it down, we don't want that to happen."
Ligon High School opened in the 1950s as an all-Black high school, later becoming a junior high after integration, and later becoming a magnet middle school.
You can renovate the building as it is, but they will also create limitations in terms of what a 21st-century educational program requires.- Dr. Robert Taylor, WCPSS superintendent
In 2025, it's been targeted for renovation, with the older building deemed not suitable for students.
The district already slated $141 million to renovate, but the question about whether to tear it down and rebuild on site, or stay within the existing structure, is generating debate.
"You can renovate the building as it is, but they will also create limitations in terms of what a 21st-century educational program requires," said Superintendent Dr. Robert Taylor. "And so, that's the back and forth that the community has really answered. Do we look forward to the future or do we try and capture a current program and an existing building?"
On Monday, the superintendent made it clear that there is no final decision just yet, but he said no matter what they do, they respect the legacy Ligon leaves behind.
"So what I've seen is that when you talk with alumni, and you talk with people from the community, and you give them information about the possibilities, then there is a possibility that they change their position. And I've seen that happen," Taylor said. "And so my goal is not to try to make anyone change their mind about anything, but to give them the opportunity to give their feedback to the board.
And then the board makes a decision about what they believe is best for the community," he added.
After more public meetings, the goal is to have a proposal for the board to vote on in March.
