Pierce Families Voice Strong Support for a New School

On May 2, Brookline voters will be asked to weigh in a ballot question (Question 1) that would unlock millions of dollars in state funding for construction of a modern, accessible Pierce School.

The 1974 Pierce renovation was designed to hold 550 students, but over the past 10+ years the school has consistently had 700 to 900 students enrolled. One poorly designed area now holds 240+ students in a single cavernous open space filled with ineffective "classrooms" without walls surrounding the library. With ~200 more students than originally designed, the current building results in unacceptable situations, including students learning in hallways and closets, students being forced to walk through busy classrooms to reach their own classroom or learning centers, and lunches as early as 10:15 AM.

Yes for Brookline, which is campaigning in favor of a new Pierce School, asked Pierce families to share their stories. Here are few examples of what they received:

“My son, Avi, will be starting kindergarten in the fall. Avi has profound unilateral hearing loss, and we were told by special educators in BEEP that starting at 2nd grade, it would be impossible for Avi to attend Pierce because of the open classroom design. It's been disheartening to learn that Avi may be denied the ability to make friends with the kids living around his home, but also that all the kids at Pierce are being denied the ability to learn with, and from, kids who have hearing impairments, who utilize wheelchairs, or who have learning differences. Passing the Pierce debt override means that Avi—and other kids like him and their siblings—can start his first year of school in his neighborhood school.”
—Shaina Rosenbleet, Pierce parent (Fall 2023)

“We had to split the Sperber Center into two classrooms, but there was no wall in-between and it was really loud and hard to concentrate.”
— Anonymous (current Pierce student)

“I am the parent of a second grader at Pierce School. I strongly believe that everyone should have access to the incredible Pierce community, but unfortunately, that is not currently possible because the Pierce building is not accessible to students and staff with disabilities. Brookline considers itself to be welcoming to all, and I hope we all understand the important role schools play in promoting inclusivity. When it comes to where we stand as a community, we need to build a new Pierce building that will actually be fully accessible to *all* of our kids and provide an equitable education to students of every ability.”
— Brian Orsatti, Pierce parent

For more information and additional testimonials, visit YesForBrookline.com.