Published October 28, 2020
By DAN TOMASELLO
LYNNFIELD — The School Building Committee (SBC) made the case for the elementary schools’ expansion project to the Board of Selectmen last week.
SBC Chairman John Scenna said the expansion project entails constructing permanent additions onto both schools that would each contain five classrooms. Two existing classrooms at both schools would be renovated as well.
Scenna recalled that the SBC and the School Enrollment Capacity and Exploration Committee (SECEC) reviewed data from the New England School Development Council (NESDEC) in order to determine if the enrollment spike was part of a bubble or is the new normal. He said the elementary schools’ enrollment is projected to increase significantly over the next decade and current enrollment data confirms those projections as fact.
“Huckleberry Hill School and Summer Street School cannot accommodate the growing enrollment within the existing buildings,” said Scenna. “The only viable option to address the overcrowding at the elementary schools is to increase the size of both buildings.”
Tappé Architects principal owner/lead architect Charlie Hay said Summer Street’s addition would be located off of the fourth grade wing. He said Huckleberry Hill’s addition would be located in the back of the building. He said four traditional classrooms would be built at each school while the fifth classroom at each building will be utilized as an individualized learning space.
“This would get us to five classrooms per grade at each school,” said Hay. “If the NESDEC projections hold, there would be 21 students in each classroom on average.”
Hay recommended that permanent additions be built instead of modular classrooms.
“We have found there is not a significant difference in cost between conventional construction and modular construction,” said Hay. “Conventional construction is going to hold up longer and better.”
Hay said Huckleberry Hill’s project also includes enlarging the gym.
“It will not only expand the gymnasium, it will give the community a bigger space to hold programs such as recreational basketball,” said Hay.
Hay said the project also includes expanding the parking lot at each school as well as the pick-up and drop-off area. He said new fields will be built at both schools, and a new playground will be built at Summer Street.
Scenna said the tentative cost estimate for the elementary schools’ project is $17 million, which would be funded by a debt exclusion vote. He anticipated the tax increase will be an additional $205 per household over a 20-year period.
“We know this is a difficult time to move forward with the project, but every year we wait is another year the kids are crowded in the schools,” said Scenna.
Superintendent Kristen Vogel recalled that Huckleberry Hill School has 22 classrooms. Summer Street School has 20 classrooms dedicated for elementary students along with two preschool classrooms. She said the elementary schools are projected to need 46 classrooms for the 2021-2022 school year, 47 classrooms for the 2022-2023 academic year and 48 classrooms for the 2023-2024 school year.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Vogel said 18 Huckleberry Hill School students and 23 Summer Street School students are not participating in either the district’s hybrid or remote learning plans this year. She said those students’ parents informed the elementary school principals that their children will be returning to Lynnfield Public Schools next year.
“We anticipate those children are going to be coming back,” said Vogel. “We need to find places for them.”
In response to a question from Selectmen Chairman Chris Barrett, Vogel said the kindergarteners who are not enrolled in either elementary school are either being homeschooled, have enrolled in a private school or are redshirting this year.
Vogel said school officials are projecting 885 students will be enrolled at both elementary schools next year, which is 11 fewer students than NESDEC’s projected enrollment of 896.
“It falls in that one percent NESDEC projection,” said Vogel. “My big concern is during the 2023-2024 school year, we will have 931 elementary students enrolled in grades K-4. That is a significant jump and it continues to jump in the years that follow.”
Retired Superintendent Jane Tremblay, who is serving as the educational liaison for the project, said the SBC explored a number of alternatives to the project before determining permanent additions was the best way to proceed. She said it is impossible to undertake redistricting because both schools are running at “100 percent capacity.”
Tremblay said the SBC looked at relocating Lynnfield Preschool back to Central Office, but she noted that would require the School Department to hire several positions, including a full-time director and a full-time nurse. She also said the town will need to find a new home for Central Office.
“If we were to free up those two preschool rooms, it still doesn’t get us where we need to be,” said Tremblay. “Two rooms are simply not enough.”
While art-on-a-cart and music-on-a-cart can work as a short-term solution, Tremblay said both programs would be negatively impacted if that was a permanent change in programming. She also said the district could implement larger class sizes.
“During my 34 years in the district, this School Committee and every School Committee believed in, embraced and understood if we keep our class sizes small at the elementary schools, we will have a greater ability to reach those students,” said Tremblay. “It will be up to the School Committee to raise class sizes to 26, 27 or 28 students. But that will compromise our students if that is the case.”
Tremblay recalled that both secondary schools have the space in order to accommodate the enrollment boom.
“This is an elementary school problem,” said Tremblay. “Our elementary schools are far too small to serve the students who are there now and who will be coming through. This problem is coming fast and furiously.”
Scenna agreed.
“This is a data-driven design,” said Scenna. “These are true needs, not desires.”
LTA President Lorie Kelly, a fourth grade teacher at Summer Street, endorsed the project on behalf of the teachers’ union.
“The strong support of the elementary expansion project during these precarious times in history speaks to Lynnfield’s unwavering commitment to education,” said Kelly. “The dedication and integrity to remain true to current class size guidelines and underscoring the importance of the arts to counter further impact from COVID 19. The School Building Committee’s commitment to recognizing and supporting the developmental social-emotional and academic growth of the youngest among us, as Lynnfield looks to the future, is commended and endorsed.”
If the elementary schools’ expansion project is approved, Scenna anticipated that construction would begin next summer and would be completed by September 2022.
Selectmen reaction
After the SBC concluded the presentation, the selectmen weighed in on the project.
Barrett expressed his support for expanding the two elementary schools.
“Outside of COVID-19, the biggest challenge facing the town of Lynnfield is meeting the educational and space needs for our ever growing school-age population,” said Barrett. “If successful, this project will absolutely advance public education in Lynnfield. If it is not successful, it is going to have long-term negative ramifications.”
While Selectman Dick Dalton commended the SBC for giving a thorough presentation to the board, he expressed concerns about how the project will be sold to voters.
“We are a month away from a Town Meeting and I am saying where is the campaign,” said Dalton. “The voters have consistently supported the school system, but I think it will be a significant mistake if we take the voters of Lynnfield for granted. Hundreds of people attended October Town Meeting, and it was an opportunity for this project to be sold by giving handouts to people in attendance. I think there has to be a coordinated campaign. I think we have a long way to go.”
Selectman Phil Crawford noted it is challenging to hold campaigns for different town projects, but said the pandemic has made that more difficult this time around. He recalled that the advocacy group Together We Grow is working on raising awareness in the community.
“Educating the voters is the most important thing,” said Crawford. “Everybody can see the need for these additions. They are not just a want. They are a need. This is in the town’s long-term benefit.”
School Committee Chairman Jamie Hayman said he and the rest of the school board is willing to meet with residents in order to inform townspeople about the project.
“This is going to be a sprint,” said Hayman. “We don’t have a lot of time and we have to go hard and fast. If this project does not pass, there is going to be an average of 25 kids in each class. That is not a threat. That is math.”