LONGMEADOW — The School Committee received an update on the progress of and potential budget for the middle school building project.
Two years ago, the project was accepted by the Massachusetts School Building Authority, a semi-governmental entity that works with municipalities to reimburse a portion of the costs associated with building, renovating and repairing schools. Since then, the Middle School Building Committee completed a preliminary assessment of the School Department’s needs, site evaluation and schematic design, which included basic floor plans and how the site would be used.
“We’re a long way aways from a final project, but we are moving along very well,” said Project Manager Adam Dalessio with Colliers Project Leaders USA, the owners project manager.
At a meeting on June 8, the MSBA will decide whether to approve the schematic design and will set the final project budget. Dalessio said the expected budget is $151.59 million. The MSBA would reimburse 56.37% of eligible costs, which equates to $55.77 million. The town would need to cover the remaining $95.82 million. Dalessio emphasized that the numbers were “super preliminary” and would not be final until the MSBA’s meeting.
Similarly, Middle School Building Committee Chair Armand Wray said the figures are still estimates. However, he said the current estimates are close to the initial figure of $152 million that was quoted at the beginning of the project. He said two independent estimators have returned the current figures.
Voters will decide whether to fund the project in two steps. An article will appear on the warrant for the Sept. 9 Town Meeting. Then, on Sept. 30, a special election will put the question on the ballot. The project must be approved at both stages to progress.
If it is approved, detailed plans will be created, and a construction manager will be hired. Construction would begin in fall 2026, the building would be ready to move into in summer 2028 and demolition of the existing Williams Middle School, to make way for parking and the athletic field, would happen in fall 2028.
The topic of personal devices and cell phones in school has been an ongoing concern, said Superintendent M. Martin O’Shea. He said the School Department has been operating under an “off and away” method, with some teachers requiring students to put their phones in their backpack or in a “cell hotel” in the classroom, while others allowed the devices to stay in students’ pockets.
After what O’Shea called an “ambitious” survey was completed by families, staff and a student focus group, the results were “very mixed.” He said he thought more people would be in favor of an outright ban on cell phones and wearable devices, such as smartwatches. Instead, he said people mainly requested uniform enforcement across different classrooms and an age-based, tiered approach.
Based on this data and in consultation with the School Council for Longmeadow High School, the updated student handbook prohibits students from having devices “carried on their person” during the school day.
Increasingly, students at the elementary level use smart watches, O’Shea said, but under the new policy, such wearable devices would not be allowed in kindergarten through grade 5, even if turned off or in “school mode.”
“Too often, it’s created some discord between students that leave their wearable device on or forget to turn it off,” said O’Shea. Like phones, the devices can be left in a backpack or locker.
School Committee member Jaime Hensch commented, “I don’t know why a child needs a cell phone in elementary school, or a [smart] watch.”
O’Shea assured Hensch that devices “should never see the light of day” at the elementary level.
The policy for middle schoolers also emphasizes that devices should be in a backpack or locker, but states teachers may give permission for devices to be used “as part of a structured learning activity.” O’Shea provided an example of a special education student using specific apps. School Committee member Julie Morgan said students in band use phones to tune their instruments.
At the high school level, devices would be available during lunch and while passing between classes. Otherwise, they would be required to be left in a backpack or in an in-class cell hotel.
O’Shea acknowledged that high schoolers are “becoming adults” and allowing them access to their phones when not on learning time provides a balance between limiting distractions and teaching responsible use.
School Committee member Julie Morgan said parents or staff who wanted an outright phone ban, may feel the high school policy does not go far enough. O’Shea said that, while subtle, the change accomplishes two goals.
First, he said, research shows that proximity to devices creates its own temptation. Studies conducted by the University of Texas at Austin and the Universities of Wüurzburg and Nottingham-Trent are among those that show a correlation between the ability to concentrate and the distance from devices. Students are “resourceful” and will find ways to check their phone if possible. Removing it from a pocket reduces that distraction. Another problem at Longmeadow High School is students who go to the bathroom during class to check their messages.
Morgan said there are concerns in other school districts about teachers shouldering enforcement, rather than using lockable phone pouches. O’Shea said the pouches have received mixed reviews and do not achieve the School Department’s goals. The pouches are expensive and, Longmeadow High School Principal Tom Landers noted, can often be opened with a magnet, allowing students access while in class.
“We think we have students that will respect the expectation” set by the School Department, O’Shea said. He said the key will be creating a “social norms” campaign and reinforcing the policy in the first month of the school year.
Landers said that Longmeadow High School has had some form of cell phone policy in place since the devices became ubiquitous in the early 2010s. “We have a lot of education and reminding students,” he said, but few disciplinary referrals.
The policies were approved by the School Committee.
