Melrose Schools List Out Priority Needs For Funding Asks

MELROSE, MA — Air conditioning, bolstering special education funding and elevator repairs are among the $2 million worth of one-time investments Melrose Public Schools will ask to be approved by School Committee Tuesday night.

The district intends on formally asking the committee to OK the list of priority needs in order to have Mayor Paul Brodeur present them to the City Council for consideration.

The funding would come from outside the operating budget approved in the spring, via the city's free cash or government money from things like the American Rescue Plan Act.

"As more and more students return to in-person learning, we are able to assess and measure the impact that the disruption of the COVID-19 global pandemic has had and is having on the mental and behavioral health, and academic needs of our students," a memo from Superintendent Julie Kukenberger and Director of Finance and Administrative Affairs Leia DiLorenzo-Secor said.

The list, which is not exhaustive, prioritizes a dozen needs:

• Replenish special education stabilization fund ($500,000)
• Repair high school elevator ($300,000)
• Replace outdated elementary literacy curricular materials and resources ($300,000)
• Purchase and install middle school rooftop air conditioning unit ($600,000)
• High school renovate or replace bathroom design study ($50,000)
• Replace middle school championship banner in middle school gym ($30,000)
• Athletics utility vehicle ($12,000)
• Athletics uniform replacement ($50,000)
• Middle and high school microscope replacements ($30,000)
• Middle and high school literature/text refresh ($20,000)
• Space audit/feasibility study ($50,000)
• HVAC/air conditioning study ($100,000)

School leadership also said it is working with the Department of Public Works to "define and prioritize other capital improvements and will include capital improvement submission to the City."

Mike Carraggi can be reached at mike.carraggi@patch.com. Follow him on Twitter @PatchCarraggi and Instagram at Melrose Happening. Subscribe to Melrose Patch for free local news and alerts and like us on Facebook.