Big School Spending Choices In Natick, Including School Closure

NATICK, MA — Natick will soon begin making decisions about a host of capital projects at local schools, and will again debate the possibility of closing the aging Johnson Elementary School.

Next week, the School Committee will host two public forums covering the issues, including one dedicated solely to Johnson, which was discussed for closure as recently as last year.

At Natick High School, the district is facing a space crunch and officials are trying to find a way to add about six classrooms to avoid increasing class sizes. Some options on the table include adding modular classrooms and moving the preschool out of the high school building and into the former East School.

At Memorial Elementary, the district is looking at over $330,000 in minor repairs in the next one to five years — but possibly more than $1 million repairs as soon as six years from now.

The problems at Johnson are much bigger, according to district officials. The school is at maximum capacity but also needs about $3 million in upgrades to bring it into compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, according to estimates by Natick Facilities Director William Spratt. That cost comes on top of hundreds of thousands of dollars needed to replace items like the sprinkler system, windows, doors and more.

Worse news for the town: a major Johnson renovation would not be eligible for help from the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA), which assists districts in paying for major renovations and new schools. That's because the MSBA requires a certain square-foot to enrollment ratio for renovation projects, and Johnson is only 60 percent to that threshold, according to district officials.

If the school were to be closed, the district could either redistrict all students right away or phase the redistricting as students graduate.

The School Committee could begin voting on capital fixes as soon as Nov. 1, with a possible vote on Johnson by Nov. 15. Natick Superintendent Anna Nolin has also prepared a memo detailing the district's capital needs and why they are being tackled now.

Here's how to attend the upcoming public forums:

• Community-wide Forum, Oct. 25, 7 p.m.: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/81394916525
• Johnson Elementary Forum, Oct. 27, 7 p.m.: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/82128322821