Wilmington Superintendent Sounds Alarm On Condition Of Schools

WILMINGTON, MA — If Wilmington were to start the process of renovating and replacing some of its older school buildings, it could be as many as eight years before the schools are ready for students. That's because of the lengthy process the town would need to go through to get money from the Massachusetts School Building Authority. And, the district's superintendent told the school committee, even that best-case time frame may not be fast enough.

"Some of our schools simply cannot wait that long," Superintendent Glenn Brand said. Brand said the Town’s Master Facility Plan, which includes plans for a Public Safety Substation in North Wilmington and a new Senior Center, does not go far enough in meeting the needs of the school system.

Brand said he would be working with the school committee, Town Manager, Selectmen, and other town officials to develop plans for the district's short- and long-range building needs. The current Facility Master Plan, which was endorsed by the school committee before Brand was hired, calls for:

• closing the Boutwell and Wildwood schools.
• renovating the the Shawsheen and Woburn Street and converting them PreK-Grade 2 schools.
• renovating the North and West schools to convert them into Grades 3-5 schools.