SPRINGFIELD — The Springfield School Committee agreed to submit statement of interest forms to the Massachusetts School Building Authority for 12 school renovation projects at its Feb. 8 meeting.
Of these SOIs, nine projects applied specifically to the Accelerated Repair Program, Assistant Director of the city of Springfield’s Facilities Management Division Jonathan Carignan told Reminder Publishing.
Four projects requested the replacement of windows and exterior doors at Rebecca Johnson School, Mary O. Pottenger School, Milton Bradley School and Central High School while another five requested roof replacement projects at Sumner Avenue School, Indian Orchard Elementary, Glenwood School, High School of Commerce and Samuel Bowles School.
To meet the requirements set by the MSBA, the windows and doors in need of replacement had to be at least 30 years old and roofs at least 25 years old, according to the MSBA age qualifications for the Accelerated Repair Program. Other requirements included ensuring the cost of the project was more than $250,000, that the buildings served an educational purpose and that the school department could financially support the project.
The remaining three projects authorized by the Springfield School Committee were under the MSBA’s Core Program, Mayor Domenic Sarno said. These were replacing the “heating system” in Chestnut Middle School in addition to “replacement of an obsolete school facility” for Washington School and White Street School.
There was also a proposal to consolidate Kensington International School with White Street School through the MSBA’s consolidation program, Carignan stated, explaining that this was raised following the “success” of previous consolidations, such as Brightwood-Lincoln School and Deberry-Homer School.
Of these SOIs, White Street School is the priority project to approve, Sarno said. This fulfills the MSBA’s requirement that a priority school must be selected if a school department submits more than one SOI for the Core Program.
“I think this is going to put us over the $1 billion mark in new schools and rehabbing schools,” Sarno stated about the 12 authorized statement of interest forms. “We’ve done the most in the commonwealth on it and we’re going to continue to do that.”
Following submission, SOIs are reviewed and MSBA staff visits may occur to further gain information about whether the projects qualify, the organization stated. Once this is complete, the MSBA will decide whether to recommend the department’s SOIs for its respective program. If improved, the Springfield Public Schools’ 12 school projects would join the more than 50 projects the school department previously completed through MSBA programs.
In a similar discussion, School Committee member Joesiah Gonzalez raised a concern about the conditions of Springfield’s alternative schools, which serve “a higher concentration of Latino and Black students.”
Gonzalez stated that it was recently confirmed by the Buildings and Maintenance Subcommittee that none of these buildings had been rebuilt because they “would never qualify for an MSBA project due to the number of pupils that those schools have — about 400 and some kids.”
“Some of these schools, like others, don’t have gymnasiums. Some of these schools, like others, don’t have the fanciest facilities but the key difference here is that this subset and this population in our city are the highest in need … they cannot be lost in our discourse as a body,” Gonzalez said.
In response, Carignan explained that several renovation projects had occurred at these specific schools but projects were constricted by available funds.
Gonzalez agreed that “structural and mechanical” projects had been completed yet argued that Springfield Public Schools should still work to make the buildings “aesthetically appealing” for students.
“When we’re looking at a population that is doing tremendously worse than our overall school district in terms of attendance, we have to make an appealing space for them to want to get in the morning and learn,” he said.
