Salem Grade 7-12 New High School Building Proposal Shot Down

SALEM, MA — The proposed new Salem High School will remain a traditional high school for grades 9-12 after the School Committee aligned with the status quo after months of public discussion on whether to endorse expanding the new building to grades 7-12.

The unanimous vote on Monday came two weeks after an emotional debate in which School Committee Mary Manning issued a strong push to keep only grades 9-12 in the new school — voicing concerns about the detrimental effects an expanded school would have on the segregated 7th and 8th graders there and the 6th graders potentially left behind with younger grades — as other Committee members appeared to endorse the 7-12 concept.

• Salem High School Grade Debate Stirs Passions As Deadline Looms

While the opening of a new school remains between five and seven years away, Superintendent Steve Zrike told the Committee two weeks ago that a decision on the grade configuration was time-sensitive so that design plans could move forward on the project.

"While I certainly believe there was merit to both options," School Committee member Manny Cruz said on Monday, "in a world where I think we have a configuration that is working for our students where we have rich and robust programming, I think the current proposal to recommend a 9-12 is the right way to go."

Cruz said he heard from several students about the proposals and that it was "certainly a mixed bag about how they felt about the two things" and that he appreciated their input.

Mayor and School Committee Chair Dominick Pangallo said at the Jan. 21 meeting that he saw the merits of the 7-12 and would be inclined to support it when it came up for a vote — but reversed course on Monday night.

"I think there are a lot of elements to a great 7-12 school that were very positive and continue to be true," Pangallo said on Monday. "But over the course of the last few weeks, we heard a lot about the cost projections of a project of this magnitude. Wanting to be realistic and also responsible about what our community can afford, while also recognizing we do have a Collins building that is in very good condition and is working well.

"There were questions about the separation of the 6th graders that in my own mind weren't fully addressed satisfactorily to the point where I think separating (grades 6-8) would be appropriate."

Zrike told the Committee on Monday that many of the current 7-12 junior-senior high schools across the state are currently more suburban communities and that making the switch would likely negatively affect the district's accountability rating, which can affect funding.

"For our district to be added into a cohort of schools that aren't really reflective of what Salem is like would be to our disadvantage," Pangallo said. "All that being said I think there are elements of what would be in a grade 7-12 school that would be helpful for us to think about for our district. ...

"I do intend to support the continuation of a 9-12 program for Salem High School. But I hope that maybe we can take this as an opportunity to think not only about building a new high school but how we shape the future of this district at all the grade levels."

Manning reiterated that she was opposed to the expanded school throughout the entirety of the discussion and that she is optimistic about the project with keeping the new school grades 9-12 "a good move and the right move."

(Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at Scott.Souza@Patch.com. X/Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)