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Date: 9/21/2022
LONGMEADOW – Longmeadow Public Schools (LPS) Superintendent M. Martin O’Shea updated the School Committee at its Sept. 13 meeting on the district’s work with the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA), which it has partnered with to explore options for renovating or replacing the town’s two middle schools.
The district has been working on an educational profile of programming, which O’Shea said included the existing educational courses “and what we might aspire to.” The district also needs to provide the MSBA with an account of the maintenance pertinent to the project.
Funding for the next stage of the middle school project will be voted on at the Oct. 25 Special Town Meeting. Voters will be asked to consider approving $1.6 million for a feasibility study. Before that, however, the Building Committee roster must be finalized.
The School Committee voted to approve two individuals for the middle school project Building Committee. O’Shea said there was a “great pool of applicants,” who applied to the Building Committee Development Subcommittee for consideration. After the interviews had been completed, the subcommittee recommended Armand Wray and Carissa Rosenblum for the two “at-large” seats.
O’Shea said Wray, who has previously served on the School Committee and currently sits on the Finance Committee, “has a good sense of our purpose and mission.” Wray also worked with the High School Building Committee when that project was being completed. O’Shea described Rosenblum as “a longtime educator” with experience at the middle school levels who had “a strong vision” for the project.
School Committee member Gina Allentuck reminded the public that there would be “so many opportunities” for people to get involved in the project.
The School Committee and the Select Board each had the responsibility to select two “at-large” residents to sit on the Building Committee. The remaining members will be comprised of other stakeholders with specific expertise. The School Committee members who will serve on the Building Committee will be chosen at the next School Committee meeting.
O’Shea laid out a preliminary timeframe for the remainder of the MSBA process. Provided the feasibility study funding is approved at the Special Town Meeting, a funding agreement will be signed allowing the MSBA to reimburse the district for a percentage of eligible costs throughout the study. During the feasibility study, which can last up to two years, the Building Committee will choose an owner’s project manager and work with a design team for “a good chuck of 2023,” O’Shea said. Several options will be considered and sent to the MSBA.
Once a final plan has been determined, O’Shea said, the town will be asked to vote on construction funding in 2025 or 2026.
O’Shea said more information will be available at an Oct. 1 community forum on the project.
Program of studies review
O’Shea told the committee that a program of studies review is underway to ensure the Longmeadow High School program is “accessible and inclusive and provides a pathway that is in line with our Vision of the Graduate,” which the district defines as “the skills, understandings, and dispositions that students should strive to attain by graduation.” The superintendent expects a final report to be completed by the end of October.
Separately, there are plans to create a consistent program for social-emotional in Grade K-8. LPS has been accepted into a three-year multi-tiered system of support (MTSS) through the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, and O’Shea said this will help the district in this initiative through feedback and support.
Room named
During the visitor comment period, Wray spoke in favor of the proposal to name the Longmeadow High School History Resource Room after the late educator and School Committee member John Fitzgerald. Wray, who served on the committee with Fitzgerald, described him as a person who always worked to find common ground with others, even when he did not agree with them. This quality is lacking in society today, Wray noted.
The School Committee said they had received no comments against the naming and voted unanimously to approve it.
Other topics
The district is in the process of making school playgrounds more accessible. O’Shea said the play areas are being outfitted with rubber matting in mid-October to make them more passable to individuals with mobility issues, as well as accessible picnic tables to allow for inclusive seating and use by all people.
O’Shea reported that there are 10 active cases of COVID-19 district wide and asked that any students or staff report active cases to their schools.
The superintendent also told the committee that the Municipal Vulnerability Program funding that is part of the town’s long-range plan creates opportunities for students to take advantage of extra-curricular activities with a civic engagement focus. As such, the district is working to arrange for students to attend a youth climate summit through the Audubon Society in October. School Committee Clerk Kevin Shea said the Energy and Sustainability Committee, of which he is chair, is excited about this undertaking.
The School Committee voted to return $567 to the town. The money was left unspent after the end of fiscal year 2022 (FY22) and cannot be spent in FY23, said Assistant Superintendent for Finance and Operations Thomas Mazza.