Published October 7, 2020
By DAN TOMASELLO
LYNNFIELD — Townspeople are going to be asked to approve the $17 million elementary schools’ expansion project later this fall.
The School Building Study Committee (SBSC) unveiled the project during the School Committee’s Sept. 29 meeting. The Board of Selectmen formed the SBSC in early March after the School Enrollment Capacity and Exploration Committee (SECEC) determined both elementary schools were running at capacity due to increasing enrollment.
“We have looked at projected enrollments over the next five years,” said School Committee Chairman Jamie Hayman. “What we have determined is we are going to have an influx of elementary school kids. If we want to maintain the class sizes that have been so important to Lynnfield’s success, something has to be done.”
Superintendent Kristen Vogel agreed.
“After two years of investigation, it is abundantly clear that in order to maintain the high level of education that Lynnfield provides to students in preschool to grade 12, the only option to solve our overcrowding at the elementary level is to add classroom additions to both elementary schools,” said Vogel.
SBSC Chairman John Scenna said the elementary schools’ expansion project involves constructing permanent additions onto both schools that would each contain five classrooms.
As part of the Summer Street project, Scenna said the 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.
“Both schools have similar project approaches,” said Scenna. “Four classrooms would be used for everyday learning and the fifth is going to be broken up into an individualized learning space for special education, breakout learning and tutoring. It will be an adaptable space that can change as needed. This would result in five permanent classrooms per grade from kindergarten through fourth grade. Right now, there are four classrooms per grade.”
Scenna said Tappé Architects recommended permanent additions instead of modular classrooms.
“Modular classrooms can be as expensive if not more expensive than permanent additions,” said Scenna.
Scenna said Huckleberry Hill’s project also includes enlarging the gym with the goal of having it be the same size as Lynnfield Middle School’s gym. He said youth sports programs will be able to use the new gym as well as students.
“The gym at Huckleberry right now is small and doesn’t meet the needs of the upcoming enrollment,” said Scenna.
Scenna 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.
“This is truly a data-driven project that we are proposing,” said Scenna. “We know how many classrooms are needed to make the enrollment work, and those are the number of classes the project is showing. This isn’t anything elaborate. It solves the enrollment issue and gives the school district the ability to have enough classrooms for the next wave of students that are coming.”
Town Administrator Rob Dolan said the tentative cost estimate for the elementary schools’ expansion project totals $17 million. He said the project would be funded by a debt exclusion vote.
“There is no way the town can absorb the cost in the operating budget,” said Dolan.
Dolan said the project would cost each homeowner an additional $200 in property taxes over 20 years.
Alternatives explored
Retired Superintendent Jane Tremblay, who is serving as the educational liaison for the project, said the SBSC explored a number of alternatives to the project before determining permanent additions was the best way to proceed.
Tremblay recalled that the New England School Development Council (NESDEC) completed enrollment projections for the district over 10 years, which are projected to steadily grow. She said the elementary schools will experience an “all-time high” enrollment of 1,030 students during the 2024-2025 school year.
“Our elementary schools are not suited to fit these kind of numbers,” said Tremblay.
Tremblay noted there are 42 classrooms at both elementary schools, which includes 22 classrooms at Huckleberry Hill School and 20 classrooms at Summer Street School. She said Summer Street has two dedicated classrooms for Lynnfield Preschool students. Tremblay 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.
The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in 18 Huckleberry Hill School students and 23 Summer Street School students not participating in either the district’s hybrid or remote learning plans this year. Tremblay said those students’ parents informed the elementary schools that their children will be returning to Lynnfield Public Schools next year.
“These families have told us they are coming back,” said Tremblay. “There are 885 students in kindergarten through fourth grade who are planning on attending Lynnfield Public Schools for the 2021-2022 school year. NESDEC’s projected enrollment for 2021-2022 was 896 students, which is a difference of 11 students. We are within 1 percent of that NESDEC projection.”
Tremblay said the space committee and SBSC explored different options before recommending the elementary schools’ expansion project. She said going to art-on-a-cart and music-on-a-cart models can work on a temporary basis, but are not long-term solutions.
“From an educational standpoint, it will 100 percent jeopardize the integrity of the instruction,” said Tremblay. “Our students get to use clay, papier-mâché and get to play a variety of instruments because of the art room and the music room. There are students in our elementary schools and throughout the district who find joy in art and music. It’s where they excel. And for some of our students, it’s where they are their happiest in their classrooms.”
School Committeeman Phil McQueen concurred with Tremblay’s viewpoint.
“From a social-emotional perspective, art and music are so vital to the development of the kids,” said McQueen. “Art and music is the highlight of a day for a lot of students, and sticking it on a cart is not going to be a highlight for anybody’s day.”
Tremblay said redistricting will not work because both schools are running at capacity. She said the SBSC looked at relocating Lynnfield Preschool back to the Central Office, but Tremblay 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.
Hayman said relocating the preschool back to Salem Street “doesn’t even solve the problem.”
“It gets you two classrooms,” said Hayman. “We are not talking about needing to add two classrooms. We are talking about adding 150 to 200 students.”
Tremblay said school officials have recommended against implementing larger class sizes.
“The students who sit in front us today have more needs, both socially-emotionally and academically, than ever before,” said Tremblay. “And that was prior to COVID-19. If you throw COVID-19 on top of that and when we do get to full in-person school, the needs aren’t going to be any less. Having smaller class sizes allows the educators in the district to meet the needs of those students in a more effective and efficient manner. We are not talking about class sizes rising to 32 or 35 students, but 27 and 28 is a big jump when you look at a kindergarten and first grade classroom when we currently have 18 to 22 students.”
Hayman noted every student in America is currently behind academically due to the ongoing pandemic.
“For us to get kids caught up, we can’t compromise on these things,” said Hayman. “It will take longer and our kids will suffer.”
While Tremblay said the elementary schools need additions because of the enrollment boom, she said Lynnfield Middle School and Lynnfield High School both have the necessary space to accommodate the enrollment spike.
Next steps
Dolan noted the SBSC will be presenting the project to the Board of Selectmen on Monday, Oct. 19. He said the selectmen will also be discussing the project on Monday, Oct. 26, where the board will tentatively schedule a Special Town Meeting for Saturday, Nov. 21.
“The third job is for them is to agree to and approve a special election date for Tuesday, Dec. 8 if Town Meeting approves the project,” said Dolan.
McQueen expressed his support for the expansion project.
“This is a need and not a want,” said McQueen. “We need to make the schools bigger so we can accommodate the students.”
School Committee Vice Chairman Rich Sjoberg concurred with McQueen’s sentiment.
“We say all the time Lynnfield is a victim of our own success,” said Sjoberg. “It’s a great place to live and we have a great school system. People are beating down the door to move here, and I welcome them. But we are going to have to make this growth expansion happen if we want to meet the needs of the number of children coming into town.”
Hayman noted the town has traditionally supported the schools and said it’s important for townspeople to support the project. If the project does not get approved, he said class sizes at both schools will rise and it will negatively impact students’ education.
After the discussion, the School Committee voted to support the elementary schools’ expansion project.
Tremblay said community forums about the project will be held soon.