WEST SPRINGFIELD — The dream of building a new elementary school that combines John Ashley School with the John R. Fausey Elementary School has officially inched further into reality.
The Massachusetts School Building Authority notified the West Springfield Public Schools district that the district has been selected to move into the next phase of the application process for the project.
MSBA Executive Director Mary Pichetti sent a letter to Mayor William Reichelt notifying the town of this development.
“I was thrilled to learn that our project has successfully moved to the next phase of the MSBA’s process,” said Reichelt. “This is an exciting milestone for our community, as it brings us one step closer to providing more students with a state-of-the-art learning environment that will serve generations to come.”
In March 2024, WSPS submitted two statements of interest to the MSBA to request consideration of both the John Ashley School and John R. Fausey School buildings to participate in the MSBA’s Core Program, which provides state grant funding for school building construction, addition, and/or renovation or repair projects.
The statements of interest are reviewed by the MBSA, and only certain projects are invited to advance to the next phase of the MSBA grant process.
Now that the West Springfield school district was chosen to move into the next round of this process, they have now entered into what is known as the “eligibility period,” which is a 270-day process that requires the district and the town to complete preliminary MSBA requirements to determine the town’s readiness to engage in the school construction process.
In a statement to Reminder Publishing, School Committee member Colleen Marcus said that MSBA has given the town a timeline and schedule of requirements to complete the 270-day eligibility period.
She said she hopes that the town can move into the feasibility study process after going through this schedule.
“We are very excited to have had the MSBA invite our Statement of Interest into the next phase, the Eligibility Period,” Marcus said.
The John Ashley School was built in 1952 and the John R. Fausey School was built in 1960. According to the town, both facilities are at capacity and have aging infrastructure that is not ADA-complaint and does not allow for the full range of educational programs that are offered today. The consolidation and rebuilding of the Fausey building would allow for increased student capacity and modern facilities to meet the needs of current educational programming.
In an April 1 Town Council meeting, Reichelt said that a new elementary school would cost $100 million, but MSBA reimbursements would cover about 75% of that. He said that renovation costs on older buildings are generally not covered by the MSBA.
According to the town, if the WSPS project is selected to advance further in the MSBA process, the reimbursement that the town receives will be calculated based on socioeconomic factors affecting the community as well as certain incentives such as green initiatives and implementation of best practices for capital maintenance.
The town has previously received reimbursement rates of 67.52% for the Coburn Elementary School Project and 62.15% for the High School project.
“It was exciting to receive the notification that our project was selected to move forward by the MSBA,” said Superintendent Stefania Raschilla in a comment. “A new school building would significantly enhance the educational experience for our students and staff and provide a safe, modern, and inspiring environment where our students can thrive academically and socially.”
Reminder Publishing reached out to Raschilla’s office for further comment on a couple questions, but did not hear back before the district’s holiday break.
