01907_Summer_2019 WEB
28 | 01907 STUDYING SWAMPSCOTT'S FUTURE SCHOOLS BY GAYLA CAWLEY The consensus among town and school officials is the town needs a new elementary school, but what's up in the air is how many grades and students it would serve and where it would be. Last year, Town Meeting members approved a $750,000 study to determine the best option for the new school. The vote followed the district's acceptance into the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA) program for the replacement of Hadley Elementary School, which was built in 1911 and is the oldest school building in town. As part of the effort for a new elementary school, the town has formed a 22-member School Building Committee, made up of town and school officials including Town Administrator Sean Fitzgerald and Superintendent Pamela Angelakis. "The condition of our buildings are such that the average age of our elementary buildings is over 90 years old and (they were) built at a time when special education wasn't a consideration," said Suzanne Wright, school committee member and chairwoman of the school building committee. "We've been really creative about where we house different programs and how we move them around. Our building isn't enhancing our education at all. (Their) age and educational space is inefficient, ineffective and inadequate." The committee will examine why a 2014 vote for districtwide elementary school failed and look at four options for a new school. The town could renovate or rebuild Hadley as a K-4 school, which would house 390 students. That would be the least expensive option and would require the smallest site. But grade levels would not be educated together, space would not be created at an overcrowded Swampscott Middle School and fifth grade would not be included at the elementary level, which is a district priority. Another option is to build a single elementary school for half of the district's students in grades K-5, which would house 590 students and create space at the middle school. Disadvantages are that not all grade level students would be educated together and half of the district's elementary students would remain in outdated buildings.
SUMMER 2019 | 29 Building an upper elementary level 3-5 school for 565 students would keep those students together, create space at the middle school and move fifth grade to the elementary level. But students in grades K-2 would not be educated together and students would have to transition to an additional school during their K-12 education. For those first three options, Stanley and Clarke Elementary schools, which are outdated themselves and also feature teaching and learning taking place in hallways, would have to remain open and would need to be renovated or rebuilt in the future. A fourth option resembles the districtwide consolidated elementary school that failed a townwide vote in 2014. A single K-4 elementary school for the entire district would house 900 students and keep all grade levels educated together. Although fifth grade would not be moved to the elementary level with the fourth option, Wright said space could be created at the middle school if administration offices and prekindergarten move from SMS to Clarke or Stanley schools. But school officials say it's the most expensive option and would require a large site for its potential location. Wright said the search is on for a project manager, and the 12-18 month feasibility study will kick off in the fall. The study will determine the best option, which will be voted on by the School Committee and MSBA, a quasiindependent government authority that helps fund the construction of school buildings, in the fall of 2020. The project would come before Town Meeting for a vote on funding in the spring of 2021 and it would be voted on the MSBA that winter. Approval would also require approval by a townwide ballot vote, with construction not expected to be completed until 2023 or 2024. Much of the effort, Wright said, is around community outreach, both to learn why the vote failed in 2014 and determine what needs to happen to get it approved this time around. Scott Burke, a member of the school building committee, who presented on the four options at this spring's Town Meeting, said "failure is not an option." "If the vote fails, the MSBA will likely not allow us into the process for a long time," Burke said. QUALITY MODULAR HOMES Advanced Building Concepts • Over 30 years of quality home construction • Over 50 North Shore homes and second story additions • Award winning builder • Energy Star Partner • It is usually less expensive to demolish and rebuild than to do a complete renovation. Your new home can be built by Professional Building Systems before your old home is taken down, then shipped to your site right after demolition, much faster and with far better results. “We had the good fortune of having Joe Moccia of Advanced Building Concepts and Professional Building Systems as our builder, and for that I am grateful. If you are considering building a home, and you want it done right, there is simply no one else to work with.” - Jeanette and Doug Kahn, Hamilton, MA “Building America’s Future... Today!” 781-581-8888 | advanced.building.concepts@comcast.net www.pbsmodular.com
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SUMMER <strong>2019</strong> | 29<br />
Building an upper elementary level<br />
3-5 school for 565 students would keep<br />
those students together, create space at<br />
the middle school and move fifth grade<br />
to the elementary level. But students<br />
in grades K-2 would not be educated<br />
together and students would have to<br />
transition to an additional school during<br />
their K-12 education.<br />
For those first three options, Stanley<br />
and Clarke Elementary schools, which<br />
are outdated themselves and also feature<br />
teaching and learning taking place in<br />
hallways, would have to remain open and<br />
would need to be renovated or rebuilt in<br />
the future.<br />
A fourth option resembles the<br />
districtwide consolidated elementary<br />
school that failed a townwide vote in<br />
2014. A single K-4 elementary school<br />
for the entire district would house<br />
900 students and keep all grade levels<br />
educated together.<br />
Although fifth grade would not be<br />
moved to the elementary level with<br />
the fourth option, Wright said space<br />
could be created at the middle school<br />
if administration offices and prekindergarten<br />
move from SMS to Clarke<br />
or Stanley schools. But school officials<br />
say it's the most expensive option and<br />
would require a large site for its potential<br />
location.<br />
Wright said the search is on for a<br />
project manager, and the 12-18 month<br />
feasibility study will kick off in the<br />
fall. The study will determine the best<br />
option, which will be voted on by the<br />
School Committee and MSBA, a quasiindependent<br />
government authority that<br />
helps fund the construction of school<br />
buildings, in the fall of 2020.<br />
The project would come before Town<br />
Meeting for a vote on funding in the<br />
spring of 2021 and it would be voted on<br />
the MSBA that winter. Approval would<br />
also require approval by a townwide<br />
ballot vote, with construction not<br />
expected to be completed until 2023 or<br />
2024.<br />
Much of the effort, Wright said, is<br />
around community outreach, both to<br />
learn why the vote failed in 2014 and<br />
determine what needs to happen to<br />
get it approved this time around. Scott<br />
Burke, a member of the school building<br />
committee, who presented on the four<br />
options at this spring's Town Meeting,<br />
said "failure is not an option."<br />
"If the vote fails, the MSBA will<br />
likely not allow us into the process for a<br />
long time," Burke said.<br />
QUALITY MODULAR HOMES<br />
Advanced<br />
Building<br />
Concepts<br />
• Over 30 years of quality home construction<br />
• Over 50 North Shore homes and second story additions<br />
• Award winning builder • Energy Star Partner<br />
• It is usually less expensive to demolish and rebuild than to do a<br />
complete renovation. Your new home can be built by Professional<br />
Building Systems before your old home is taken down, then shipped to<br />
your site right after demolition, much faster and with far better results.<br />
“We had the good fortune of having Joe Moccia of Advanced Building<br />
Concepts and Professional Building Systems as our builder, and for<br />
that I am grateful. If you are considering building a home, and you<br />
want it done right, there is simply no one else to work with.”<br />
- Jeanette and Doug Kahn, Hamilton, MA<br />
“Building America’s Future... Today!”<br />
781-581-8888 | advanced.building.concepts@comcast.net<br />
www.pbsmodular.com
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