Rodents, leaks, missing flooring and smoke. Staffers say Dunbar needs fixing.

In the face of multiple building maintenance issues including smoke in the building last week, Paul Laurence Dunbar High School staff and parents are asking Fayette County Public Schools officials to renovate the building.

The theater auditorium closed for repairs Monday after smoke was seen near the upper stage lights, Principal Scott Loscheider told families in an email. Loscheider, in the email, described an “electrical issue.” He said the Lexington Fire Department was contacted, but responders determined there was no fire and the building didn’t need to be evacuated.

That was not the only issue in recent history: in 2025, the school’s roof leaked so badly that officials ran out of buckets.

“PLD staff and parents are just asking that the district makes an announcement that a renovation is coming in the future,” library media specialist Amber Faris told the Herald-Leader Wednesday morning. “We have waited patiently, and we want assurances that it won’t be another 10 years without our school being touched.”

Dunbar, which is on Man o’ War Boulevard in south Lexington, opened in 1990.

District Chief Operating Officer Myron Thompson said in a Tuesday email to stakeholders that on Oct. 13, 2025, the Fayette County Board of Education initiated the process for replacing the roof.

“We will take construction bids this spring and will work over the summer to have the roof replaced by October (2026),” Thompson said.

Thompson said that Monday’s “event in the theatre and foyer, unfortunately, is a frequent occurrence related to aging HVAC equipment due for replacement. We continue to monitor this condition at Dunbar and other schools to make repairs or replace equipment as needed.”

FCPS has significant need for building updates

The most recent building problems at Dunbar were captured in a district-wide report that showed about $594.4 million in unmet facility needs, part of FCPS’ 2025 District Facility Plan.

“The methodology we must use to develop this plan tends to understate costs, and we estimate the true need is closer to $1,200,000,000” district-wide, Thompson said.

Thompson said the district’s bonding capacity is about $300 million, and the current focus is to maintain aging infrastructure with limited resources until major renovations can take place.

FCPS officials didn’t immediately provide more information beyond what was in Thompson’s email.

Faris said the school has long been promised renovations.

“I’ve taught at Dunbar for 22 years,” Faris said. “We had been promised renovations in a 2012 (district) report for HVAC, roof, and new classrooms yet we always got moved to the bottom of the list, and now, we aren’t even on the list for renovations due to the district’s financial mishandling. While I’m grateful they will be replacing our roof and our turf this summer, those are only being done because they absolutely must be due to warranty and insurance issues.”

Faris said the library also has suffered pretty significant facility issues.

“We couldn’t use half the library after the snow days that first week back due to falling ceiling tiles and water damage,” Faris said. “While that side has since re-opened, the display window has been ruined and needs significant cleaning to be usable again.”

Staff members are sending emails to school board members with a document written by Brooke Jackson, a technology resource teacher at the school, outlining some of the maintenance problems.

“Dunbar is nearly forty years old and has never undergone a renovation,” Jackson wrote. “Since Dunbar was built, Lafayette, Henry Clay, and Tates Creek have all been renovated.”

“In addition, the district has constructed entirely new schools for Henry Clay, Bryan Station, Tates Creek, Douglass, The Hill, STEAM, and Locust Trace,” Jackson said. “Meanwhile, Dunbar continues to deteriorate. This disparity is unacceptable.”

Jackson said the roof issue made the leak “akin to rain inside the building,” and classes frequently have to relocate because of leaks, smoke and lack of heating or air conditioning. Jackson also said there had been rodent problems and bats seen inside the school.

“With constant moisture, failing pipes, and poor ventilation, there are legitimate concerns about mold and air quality,” Jackson said.

Bathrooms are missing flooring, tiles are damaged and missing in other rooms, and doors are falling off hinges, Jackson said.

“I wrote this letter because I love Dunbar,“ Jackson told the Herald-Leader. “This place is so incredibly special. The people and opportunities are unmatched. I graduated from here, I work here, I live in this community, my children will go here. The school deserves the same level of love and respect that it has given so many in its 36 years.“

This story was originally published February 25, 2026 at 3:10 PM.