Westwood Public School Department In Favor Of School Project

The following was submitted by the Westwood Public School Department:

WESTWOOD, MA - Westwood Prepares to Vote on New Elementary School

Approval needed at Town Meeting and Special Election

After three years of research, design and community discussion, Westwood’s proposed new elementary school goes to a Special Town Meeting vote on Monday, Oct. 18. With a two-thirds majority at Town Meeting, and approval from a simple majority of voters in a special Town Election on Oct. 26, the project will be green-lighted.

“The new school will be a safe, modern, net-zero ready building that can accommodate up to 560 students,” said Supt. Emily Parks. “It is designed with today’s instructional needs in mind. With appropriately sized classrooms, extended learning areas, a dedicated science lab, small group breakout space and learning spaces designed specifically for many of the district’s special education programs, the school is an investment in Westwood’s students for the next 50-plus years.”

Replacing Aging Schools
The new building at the Hanlon site would replace the aging Deerfield and Hanlon schools, both of which were built in the early 1950s. Recently, a ceiling collapsed in a Hanlon classroom. Deerfield’s modular classrooms needed a roof replacement and mold abatement.

“These schools have outlived their usefulness,” Parks added. “We’ve done a great job maintaining them over the decades, but these buildings and their systems are outdated and it’s not fiscally responsible to keep pouring money into repairs.”

She added that it would cost the town $41 million to bring the buildings into code compliance and upgrade the mechanical systems—money that wouldn’t even address the schools’ space deficiencies and projected enrollment increase.

Building a new, combined school will cost $87.8 million. The Massachusetts School Building Authority has agreed to cover up to $18.2 million of the total cost if residents approve the plan at Town Meeting and the special election. That brings the estimated cost to taxpayers at $69.6 million, which would cost the average Westwood homeowner an additional $462 per year, according to the School Department.

Parks also pointed out, at $621 per square foot, the cost of Westwood’s proposed project is in line with, and even below, the per square footage cost for similar projects in surrounding communities.

“It’s a good economic decision because we’re combining two aging schools into one,” said Jen Flanders, a Westwood mom and member of the ‘Yes’ campaign supporting the project. “It’s a two-for-one deal.”

‘A resource for the entire Westwood community’
Westwood schools have earned a great reputation over the years. They consistently receive high state rankings and national awards. The new school would be an asset not just for students and their families, but for the whole town, according to Maya Plotkin, chair of the Westwood School Committee and the School Building Committee.

“This will be a resource for the entire Westwood community by providing much-needed new playing fields, a large gymnasium and a flexible performance space for community use,” said Plotkin.

The plan includes redesigning traffic patterns to minimize neighborhood disruption. School officials expect the grounds will be used for summer enrichment and recreation programs. A new trailhead is being built with continued access to Lowell Woods.

So, what happens if Town Meeting doesn’t approve the school?

“There is no ‘do nothing’ option here,” Plotkin warned. “If this project fails, we forfeit the state money and would have to reapply again in the future,” when costs will have gone up, she said. “And, there is no guarantee the MSBA would approve us again.”

The assessed value of the Deerfield and Hanlon schools is only $10 million combined. Town voters will have to decide if it is prudent to allocate funds for repairs that only solve some of the schools’ issues.

“That’s really the choice that we’re making,” Plotkin said.

She also pointed out that the Westwood School Department hasn’t sought a debt exclusion in a generation—since the new high school was built 20 years ago. The building will be paid off in 2023.

‘It’s a community thing’

Flanders has been inspired by what she says is community-wide support for the new school.

“There are so many other people who are excited about this project, it makes me think about the future,” she said, calling it “a community thing, neighbors helping neighbors.”
If the new school is approved this month, construction is set to begin in the summer of 2022 and students could move in starting in February 2024.

To learn more about the proposed new school, visit this link.

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