Salem Takes Next Step Toward New High School With Building Committee

SALEM, MA — Salem is taking the next step toward what officials hope will be the path to a new high school within the next five years to seven years with the formation of a School Building Committee.

Community members are being sought to be part of the committee that will oversee the project and ensure compliance with the Massachusetts School Building Authority's regulations.

Salem was approved this past winter for state matching funds for a new high school with new Salem Mayor Dominick Pangallo telling Patch before his inauguration last week that meeting upcoming benchmarks and deadlines on the project would be among his top priorities in the early days of his administration.

The School Building Committee will work with consultants to develop the plans for the project for submission to the MSBA for approval. Members of the School Building Committee will meet about once a month throughout the duration of the project to work on the physical nature of the building, while the School Committee and Salem school officials will determine the educational program aspects of the new space.

The city is seeking residents with diverse backgrounds in education, finance, accounting, construction, contracting, building design and community organization for the committee.

Those who would like to serve on the committee are asked to send an email with a brief statement of interest and resume to mayor@salem.com or Mindy Marino at mmarino@salemk12.org by June 14.

(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.)