School Committee Approves Statement of Interest for South Middle School Renovation

BRAINTREE, MA - The Braintree School Committee has taken the first step towards renovating South Middle School.

The committee voted unanimously to submit a statement of interest to the Mass. School Building Authority. The action will require a vote from the Town Council, which will take place on April 5.

Superintendent Frank Hackett called the statement part of a long-term plan that includes moving the fifth grade to the middle school, stating that the reason for the statement of interest is to eliminate sever overcrowding and prevent more overcrowding as a result of an enrollment increase.

"We’re using a lot of existing space that was designed for something else for classrooms," Hackett said.

Coupled with the proposed East Middle School renovations, school officials hope that by moving the fifth grade to new space at the middle schools and renovating both buildings, more space can be opened up on the elementary level.

"We have a space issue and the space issue is that we have to pull kids out and we don’t have a place to put them in terms of special education and English language learnings," Mayor Joseph Sullivan said. "If we get this one done we’re not going back to the MSBA for a while."

The statement of interest does not represent a financial commitment for the school district or the MSBA.