Middle School Expansion Down to Three Options

The Middle School Building Committee is aiming for December town meeting approval so preliminary work can begin in January on one of three options to increase the number of classrooms to accommodate an enrollment hike that will cause overcrowding next year and peak during the next three to four.

The cost of the renovations will be between $950,000 and about $5 million, depending on the option chosen, can be paid from free cash and would not necessitate an override vote, according to committee chairwoman Terri Tsagaris.

"The money is there," she said.

Enrollment figures show the current 7th grade class would exceed class size guidelines of 22 as 8th graders without more classrooms, with the overcrowding getting worse over the three years after that before hitting a plateau.

The most expensive option, called Option Z, requires the central school administration staff to move to another building and renovating the office space into one science lab, two special education classrooms and six classrooms.

The cost of the renovation is put at $938,000. The cost of moving the administration staff and paying rent in a new location boosts the total price tag to about $5 million over eight years however, according to a report presented Monday by KC Kato, chairwoman of the School Committee and building committee member.

The next option, called Option Y, has a price tag of $1.3 million. It renovates a currently under-used lecture hall and moves the fitness center to the current dance/aerobics room which would move to the gym. It would add six classrooms, two special education classrooms and a science lab.

Option X, the third being considered, is the least expensive at $949,500.  It would also renovate the under-used lecture hall and would also take the health and wellness classrooms and two music practice rooms. The health and wellness program would be moved to shared space and the practice rooms, which are heavily used after school, would be lost. This option would provide essentially the same amount of new classrooms as Options Z and Y.

The SBC is not pursuing adding modular classrooms outside the building, which neighbors had opposed, or building additional space onto the school.

The School Committee will discuss the final three options at tonight's meeting.

A copy of the full report presented at Monday morning's meeting is on the Middle School Building Committee website.

In addition, two public hearings, one during the day and one in the evening, are planned for next month.