WILBRAHAM — As the state of Wilbraham Middle School continues to come into question, the Hampden-Wilbraham Regional School District School Committee discussed ways to move forward with remediating the building during its Nov. 20 meeting.
Committee member Michael Tirabassi spoke on the building’s needs and potential routes with the Massachusetts School Building Authority, and questioned the future of the school.
At the last meeting on Nov. 6, it was announced by Assistant Superintendent for Finance Operations Douglas Slaughter that the MSBA had invited the district into their accelerated repair program for three projects, replacement of the roofs at Mile Tree and Stony Hill Schools and replacement of the doors and windows at Wilbraham Middle School.
After further discussion and research alongside Superintendent John Provost, Tirabassi concluded that it might’ve been a better idea to apply for the MSBA’s core program due to the substantial repairs list for the building. The core program involves new construction, additions and renovation projects.
“What we ultimately need is the support of the people in both towns,” Tirabassi said. “It’s for the kids and what’s needed for the kids.”
Unlike the accelerated repair program, the core program doesn’t require a solution to a building’s needs but only the problems themselves.
A feasibility study would then be done to pinpoint an accurate solution.
As of Nov. 1, Wilbraham Middle School has 589 students, and according to the New England School Development Council’s predictions for the district, that number will rise to 773 over the next 10 years. Tirabassi said that the building will need six new classes for each core subject, a 50% increase in classroom capacity, to handle the rise and accommodate all students and staff.
Tirabassi also noted a lack of special education classrooms is likely due to the school being built four years before the passage of Massachusetts Special Education Law Chapter 766 and seven years before the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, which mandated free public education to tailor the needs of children with disabilities. In order to accommodate the required subjects and to implement the needs of students with disabilities, the school has already converted library and office space into 14 additional classrooms.
A feasibility study conducted in 2015 also found that the water and sanitation systems, the HVAC system, the electrical service, windows and doors, walls and insulation, the fire protection system and the kitchen all needed extensive upgrades. Additionally, the asbestos protective tiling is beginning to crack and pull up from the floor. Tirabassi said that the repairs may be “many tens of millions of dollars.”
“If there is any chance that we can get a more appropriate learning space for the kids and the staff, I am willing to say, ‘okay,’” Provost said. “It would be irresponsible for me as a superintendent not to at least explore the option of getting a more permanent and appropriate solution for our kids.”
Tirabassi said that to withdraw from the accelerated repair program and apply for the core program, it is “critical” that the MSBA sees support from the select boards of Hampden and Wilbraham. The committee did plan to meet with the Wilbraham Select Board to guide them through the next steps in the MSBA project and the building’s future before they vote to move forward.
“If both select boards support it, then we will have another discussion on if we actually want to make this move,” Tirabassi said. The committee also had their third policy reading on the IKFE competency determination and graduation requirements. This policy states that instead of MCAS, students will be required to take two years of high school English, the equivalent of algebra 1 and geometry for math, one year of lab science and one year of United States history.
At the meeting on Nov. 6, Committee member Rich Rediker proposed an amendment to IKFE for a baseline test to replace MCAS, in addition to the new course requirements. Rediker showed concern over whether passing the new requirements were enough to prove competency but the amendment was voted against.
Tirabassi introduced the discussion by saying Rediker, in turn, “won” with the state deciding to roll out new standardized tests. The committee then passed the policy unanimously.
The School Committee also met with the Wilbraham Select Board on Nov. 24 to discuss Wilbraham Middle School, after Reminder Publishing’s deadline, and coverage of that meeting will appear in the Dec. 4 edition of The Reminder.
