Middle School Expansion Plans To Move Forward

The School Building Committee will meet with architects Monday to finalize plans for adding more classroom space within the existing Wellesley Middle School in anticipation of a jump in enrollment expected to peak in 2013 and 2014.

School Superintendent Bella T. Wong told the School Committee last night that enrollment figures from this month show the expected enrollment hike is indeed reality and that plans must move forward.

"It confirms we will need to do some renovation," she said. "It does assume some reallocation of space and some changes in scheduling."

Wong called Monday's meeting, which will be held at Town Hall at 9 a.m. and is open to the public, "very important." School Committee members will be briefed on the architect's recommendations at their meeting the following night.

Implied in the "reallocation of space," is moving the 30-person school administration staff from the middle school into a new space to free the offices for classrooms.

Wong said the school department has looked into leasing property or finding a new space in existing town buildings with little success.

She said she has also held "very preliminary" discussions with the Department of Public Works which is finalizing plans to build a new office building at their Route 9 location, and that the DPW is amenable to looking at the possibility of incorporating the schools' needs into its plans.

Wong said if space were available she would prefer the school administration stay within one of the schools, but that classrooms obviously take priority.