TURNERS FALLS — The Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA) is expected to vote in December on whether a Sheffield Elementary School expansion project will be accepted into its Accelerated Repair Program.
In April, a statement of interest was submitted to the MSBA following approval from the Gill-Montague Regional School District School Committee. The MSBA’s Accelerated Repair Program is designed to help schools renovate or construct new buildings through planning and financial assistance, which includes reimbursement of eligible costs in construction.
Last week, school district and Montague town officials met with DESE, and agreed to continue to pursue the Accelerated Repair Program, while other MSBA building projects are coming down the pipeline locally.
“We had some questions and wondering and concerns. We have some bonds coming off, but there’s the Franklin County Technical School and their building project in the pipeline, and there’s some other moving pieces,” Gill-Montague’s interim Superintendent Tari Thomas told the School Committee. “But by and large, we’re feeling really positive.”
Currently, Franklin Tech is pursuing its own MSBA project for a new building, and Gill Elementary School is seeking a new roof. The latest figures for Franklin Tech estimate the cost at $246 million, with a 45% to 46% reimbursement rate by the MSBA. This means the 19 member towns would be responsible for a share of between $118 million and $129 million over 30 years, with each amount determined by town property valuation, enrollment and relative income.
If the expansion project is accepted into the MSBA program, Sheffield Elementary would bring its students and Hillcrest Elementary School students together under one roof. The intention would be to have separate wings to keep the younger students from Hillcrest (preschool, kindergarten and first grade) in one part of the building and keep older students from Sheffield (second through fifth grade) in another part.
Right now, there is no cost estimate for the Sheffield Elementary project.
According to the statement of interest, the application states that the three priorities for consolidating the two Montague elementary schools are to alleviate classroom overcrowding; to install more modern materials, such as roofs, windows and energy systems; and to add to the Sheffield building to allow for a full range of educational programs for students.
The statement further explains that an expanded Sheffield Elementary would streamline resources to create a stronger elementary school community that would benefit students, staff and families. It would also minimize disruptions for students since they would not be moved from one building to another, as is the current situation when they age out of Hillcrest Elementary.
Both buildings are also becoming outdated for the needs of students and staff. The smaller of the two schools, Hillcrest, was first built in the 1950s, and is a single-story, L-shaped building on Griswold Street. The main Sheffield building was rebuilt in 1988 after a fire destroyed it, but spared the attached auditorium and gymnasium. An administrative building was then constructed in 1925 on the three-building campus on Crocker Avenue.
Sheffield has 195 students with an average classroom space of 925 square feet, and a 18-to-1 student-teacher ratio. The school has installed partitions in five classrooms to maximize space for teaching and administrative duties.
Both of the schools struggle with providing dedicated spaces for teaching, and both use closet space for offices or break rooms for staff. There is a waiting list for preschool students at Hillcrest due to the number of students and the lack of space.
School Committee Chair Jane Oakes asked Thomas and Director of Business and Operations Joanne Blier about what reimbursement may look like for a project like this, based on previous reports of other school building projects through the MSBA.
“When MSBA approves the project, they would approve 76%, but they may have some ineligible costs,” Blier said. “They may say it’s 76% of the whole thing, or it’s 76% and these are the items that we’re not going to reimburse you on.”
School Committee member Steve Ellis inquired if a supplemental letter of support from the town of Montague would be needed ahead of the MSBA’s December vote. Blier confirmed the district will meet with the Selectboard and Finance Committee in early November to discuss the plans moving forward.