Salem Pushes State On Need For New High School Funding

SALEM, MA — Salem Superintendent Steve Zrike hopes his push for state funding for a possible new high school in the city got a boost this week when representatives from the School Building Authority toured Salem High.

"We were able to demonstrate that there are some things that have significant needs at the high school," Zrike said. "We were able to show where we have water coming in. Where we have damaged tiles. HVAC issues — heating, cooling, things that are way past their shelf life."

Zrike, who posed the need for a new high school as early as two years ago, pointed to the arts wing of the school dating back to 1976, the media center, the career and technical education facilities, office and auditorium as "all areas that need significant attention."

"We're hopeful that we might be on a future list for investment for a new facility at the Salem High School site," he said.

Zrike said the district has applied to be considered for state funding for a new school and that he expects to know in a couple of months where Salem High School stands with the state priorities in that process.

(Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at Scott.Souza@Patch.com. Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)