Schools
Waltham Eyes December Vote on High School
In a letter to residents, Superintendent Drew Echelson said he hopes to have a final recommendation by mid-November, with a vote to follow.
WALTHAM, MA – The fate of Waltham High School could be decided as soon as the holiday season, according to a schedule laid out by Superintendent Drew Echelson.
In a recent letter to residents, Echelson said he expects the School Building Committee to make a final recommendation for a new or renovated school at its November 14 meeting. Following that timeline, Waltham is slated to hold two public hearings ahead of a scheduled December 7 vote.
Several members of the Waltham community have spoken out in support of a new high school, saying renovating the current building would be a temporary fix.
Find out what's happening in Walthamfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
And earlier this month, members of the school committee stood along the property lines of land owned by Waltham Public Schools to illustrate the boundaries of a potential new school.
If construction of a new building is approved, the school committee assures residents that it will not spill over onto the 113 acres of neighboring conservation land.
Find out what's happening in Walthamfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
Here's a look at the schedule of hearings leading up to a potential vote:
Nov. 1: City-wide PTO, 7 p.m. at Cannon Lecture Hall – Discussion of Sites & Other Business (Not televised)
Nov. 7: Building Committee, 5:30 p.m. at Cannon Lecture Hall – Report on Findings at Fernald (Televised)
Nov. 9: Meet with Ward Councilors, 6 p.m. at Cannon Lecture Hall – Discussion of Sites (Not televised)
Nov. 14: Building Committee, 5:30 p.m. at Cannon Lecture Hall – Selection of Preferred Site (Televised)
Nov. 16: School Committee, 7:30 p.m. at Cannon Lecture Hall – Presentation of SBC Preferred Site (Televised)
Nov. 30: School Committee & Building Committee, 7 p.m. at Cannon Lecture Hall – Public Hearing on Preferred Site (Televised)
Dec. 6: School Committee & Building Committee, 7 p.m. at Cannon Lecture Hall – Public Hearing on
Preferred Site (Televised)
Dec. 7: School Committee, 7:30 p.m. at Cannon Lecture Hall, Potential Vote to Approve Site (Televised)
>>>Click here for an outline of each plan.
Photo courtesy of Tim Pierce via Wikimedia Commons
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