Tour Somerville High: Too Hot, Too Cold, Accreditation in Jeopardy

SOMERVILLE, MA - The current conditions at Somerville High School are unappealing at best; the building is decrepit and eating up an alarming amount of energy. There is a chance the school could lose its accreditation if not renovated, hurting students’ chances of getting into their college of choice, according to the Somerville High School Building Committee.

The City of Somerville was accepted into the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MBSA) grant program and is now working on the best “educationally appropriate and cost effective” way to solve the problems, the SHS Building Committee said.

Efforts are underway to find a location for a new school but other options include renovating the current building or planning new construction on the site, the SHS Building Committee said.

Somerville High School was first built in 1872 and hasn’t been renovated since 1986. The antiquated heating system and terrible insulation makes it impossible to regulate classroom temperatures, the SHS Building Committee reported.

At its most recent review by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC), it was said that if renovation efforts were not made by the next meeting the school’s accreditation would be brought into question, according to the SHS Building Committee.

Residents are invited to tour the school with the Somerville High School Building Committee on Wednesday, March 16 to look at the current conditions of the school and get a better understanding of what actions need to be taken moving forward.

Tours will depart from the main office of the High School at 81 Highland Ave. every 15 minutes from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.

The building tour will also be filmed and posted on the SHS Building Committee website later in the week.

The next meeting of the High School Building Committee will be held on Monday, March 28 at 5:30 p.m. at the West Somerville Neighborhood School.

Map of potential new school sites via building committee