Dear Editor,
I am writing this letter to give my strong support for the new K-5 elementary school for the North side of Wilmington (MSBA Wildwood project). I am a member of the Wilmington School Committee, my views are mine alone and do not represent the School Committee, but I would like to remind the community that the School Committee unanimously voted in favor of this project.
Here is why I support this project and why this is sorely needed in the community:
- The three elementary schools (Wildwood, Woburn St, and North) are at end of life. They were built in the 50s and 60s and have not been renovated to match the needs of the kids they serve. For example, did you all know that there are still safety showers, sinks and gas lines in the North Intermediate classrooms from when they were Middle School Science labs? Outdated heating systems cause extremely hot or cold classrooms in the winter (kids have to wear jackets in class!), and the electrical systems were not designed to handle today’s needs. Computers were not part of the design plans in the 50s and 60s.
- The schools are beyond the point of minor repairs. Major renovations are possible but will cost much more for all 3 North side elementary schools than the approximately $90 million that will cost (after state reimbursement) to the Town for a new building. It has been estimated that the schools could be renovated for around $100m-$110m with no state funding (High range estimates are $29.4M for Wildwood, $40.1M for Woburn St, and $32.6M for North). So why would we want to pay more money to keep propping up these failing buildings, that will not suit our students’ needs, when we can build a new school that can fix them? Plus, renovating will incur a higher cost to the Taxpayer than building the new school.
- The Town will be getting $62 million from the State to help with this program. It is one of the highest awards given by the State and it would be foolish for us to give up these funds.
- Nicer buildings = better education environment = better outcomes for our students. With an improved school building the kids can be better served, focus and perform better. This is not the case right now and our staff is doing the best job they can despite the crumbling buildings. More instances of our buildings having disruptive and significant failures are continuing every year which makes learning a challenge. An example of this was a massive roof failure at the Woburn St school this past year that caused students and staff to scramble to find space and teachers to triage leaking roof conditions in their classrooms. Why must we let this continue? Furthermore, with a new building the school district can recruit more top teacher talent which can better educate our kids. Think about it from your perspective, if you are searching for a job, all things being equal, would you take a job in an old, rundown building or a new functional building?
- A common criticism is that a new school can be built and then the Town will let it get rundown just like it did for all the other schools. I hear people on this and share their frustration. I can say in recent years the Town and Facilities departments have done the best job they can, but they cannot turn back the clock on decades of poor management. As a member of the School Committee, I will start to work with the Town to develop a more robust and proactive maintenance plan so we can avoid being in this dire situation in the future.
- Finally, this is an amazing opportunity to streamline our education system and make it easier for students and parents. Navigating a new school every 1 to 2 years (Wildwood- K, Woburn St 1-3, and North 4-5) is challenging for parents and stressful for kids. Children like consistency and it will help them learn better. In the current system they are constantly needing to get to know new buildings and staff. It is a lot for them. Parents feel the same way and would benefit from a more centralized experience. It also will significantly help parents that need to deal with multiple after school pickups if they have kids in different grades. I know some people that must drive to 3 different schools to pick their kids from their after-school care programs.
This is our chance as a community to make a significant, impactful investment in our community and our kids’ future. If we vote this down, Plan B will be to renovate the schools at much higher expense to the taxpayer and will cause us to have the same chopped up, complex education system. I ask all of you to please come out and Vote Yes at the Saturday, September 13th Special Town Meeting (this is in person and 2/3 majority needed to pass!) and then Yes again at the Tuesday, September 16th Special Town Vote (this is a ballot and 50% majority needed to pass) to approve the new North side K-5 elementary school.
Sincerely,
Michael Mercaldi
Wilmington School Committee
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