The MSBA approved the invitation to the Hampden-Wilbraham Regioanl School District for the replacement of doors and windows at Wilbraham Middle School.
Reminder Publishing submitted photo
WILBRAHAM — An update to the ongoing projects with the Massachusetts School Building Authority was provided at the Hampden-Wilbraham Regional School Committee meeting on Nov. 3.
Assistant Superintendent for Finance Operations Douglas Slaughter said that the MSBA Board of Directors voted on Oct. 29 and approved the invitation into the MSBA process for three projects, including replacement of the roofs at Mile Tree and Stony Hill schools.
The doors and windows at Wilbraham Middle School also need to be replaced.
In the meeting on Oct. 9, the committee discussed the urgent need for capital projects across the Hampden-Wilbraham Regional School District, specifically prioritizing the needs of Wilbraham Middle School students. The committee recognized the ongoing issue of overcrowding and updates to the school’s HVAC system along with the projects approved by the MSBA.
A commencement date for March 2 that “starts the clock for everything they need to do,” Slaughter said.
“From that commencement date, certain things have to happen,” Slaughter said. “There are things that I’ll have to do, staff at the Town Hall will have to do because the buildings are all owned by the town of Wilbraham. A few action items will be necessary, funding being one of them.”
In order to stay in the MSBA process, Hampden and Wilbraham have 90 days from the commencement date to decide on funding for feasibility in schematic designs. After that 90 days, the next deadline is about a year later where full funding needs to be secured.
Slaughter said that it is common for districts to opt out of the MSBA process, often due to lack of funding, so he urged the steadiness and importance involved to meet each deadline.
Replacing the doors and windows at Wilbraham Middle School is estimated to cost between $6 million and $7 million, or $3.01 million after reimbursement. The roofs at Stony Hill and Mile Tree schools look to be about $9 million. The reimbursement rate in 2024 was 57% and Slaughter believes it will be similar for this project.
“I’ve never heard of this before where three projects have been approved in the same year,” School Committee member Sean Kennedy said. “If the [reimbursement rate] is anywhere near 52%, what a massive, massive savings for the town of Wilbraham.”
Committee member Michael Tirabassi added that the doors and windows are just step one to a list of concerns for the future of Wilbraham Middle School. He still believes the school is short six to eight classrooms, lacks a library and brought attention to old tiles with asbestos beginning to peel up.
With the number of students expected to rise by around 160 over the next 10 years, their future in the current building is still a topic of discussion in order to address every need and be “responsible with taxpayer dollars,” according to Tirabassi.
The committee also discussed student competency determination since Massachusetts voters decided in the 2024 election that MCAS will no longer be a graduation requirement. The Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education has enacted new requirements into place which include students passing specific courses to fulfill the competency determination requirement.
Committee member Rich Rediker initially led the discussion with concerns over if passing the courses is really enough to prove competency. In some courses, based on how much the tests go towards a grade percentage, it may still be possible to pass a course after failing the tests.
Rediker said he believes the state is going in the right direction by still allowing the tests but feels the need for more ways in determining complete proficiency, especially in an age where technology and AI can do a majority of the work for a student.
He proposed an amendment for a form of minimal test with no electronic help, on top of passing the course with a midterm and final, in order for a student to adequately prove competency. The amendment was seconded to move on for the sake of discussion among the committee.
Many questions were brought against Rediker’s amendment, specifically by Kennedy, including how much the test would cost, what it would be weighted, if midterms and finals would matter with the new test and if seniors would even need to take tests their senior year.
Student Rep Kadence Illig made a point against the amendment, stating that students who may be cheating through school are only cheating themselves. Illig, who is a current high school junior in a dual enrollment program with Holyoke Community College, says that there are still benchmark tests in place to prove competency for further education.
Illig also said that a new test would add even more weight and pressure to students who may be in extracurriculars or already stressed about midterms and finals. Illig does believe that skills Rediker mentioned, such as knowing how to properly tip at a restaurant, are important to learn rather than students being required to take tests on topics they haven’t been taught.
Tirabassi added that he voted to remove MCAS as a requirement because he doesn’t believe filling in multiple choice questions is accurate enough to prove knowledge. He believes there are students with very high competence of knowledge that aren’t able to fill in large multiple choice tests well, which is why many schools have removed the SAT/ACT requirements.
“Some [students] can be the most brilliant but penalized by the standardized system,” Tirabassi said.
Rediker finished his discussion by clarifying the test doesn’t need to be as difficult as calculus, yet should be something to test basic knowledge in topics like calculating percentages or writing proficiency.
He also makes a point to say that, as an employer, a person with a high school diploma should be able to point to where Ecuador is on a map, for example. Kennedy refuted the claim by saying that many with a college degree wouldn’t necessarily be able to point to any given country on a map.
Committee member Timothy Collins finished the discussion with disagreement, citing MCAS as a “one size fits all” test and that a student who is proficient in mathematics might not be as good at ELA and be denied a diploma for failing.
“MCAS is not going away and I wish it would,” Collins said. “I have confidence that our teachers are doing what they need to do to give the kids the skills they need to survive in life, which is why I’m voting against this.”
Rediker’s amendment did not pass. The next meeting is scheduled for Nov. 20 at 6:30 p.m.
