SPRINGFIELD, Mo. — The new Pershing Middle School building is facing backlash from residents near its planned location.

The new school is planned to be built behind the current one in a large plot of land closer to residential houses on Almeda Street and Cedarbrook Avenue.

Neighbors claim they were not adequately informed about the new school's location until recently.

"We are surprised and disappointed nothing has ever been mentioned to the neighbors most impacted with this change," said Sharon Benton at a Springfield Public Schools (SPS) Board meeting on Sept. 16.

While voters approved a bond issue in 2023, which the project was a part of, Benton argued that it was presented specifically as a renovation, not an entirely new building.

Designers hired by the Springfield School Distric

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