As we communicated earlier this school year, it remains a priority for the district to continue to pursue building a new consolidated elementary school as this remains the best option for our students’ education and the town’s finances. And while we work toward having another vote for the project in April, we must also plan in the event this effort is not successful.
We are dealing with an increase in student population and overcrowding in our elementary school buildings, and we have to find a solution to the physical condition of the South Elementary School building. So, an alternative, admittedly less desirable option to building a new school, is to close the South School and place modular classrooms at the Dawe, Gibbons, and Hansen elementary schools that could accommodate a total of 300+/- students.
This is a costly, temporary alternative; these modulars have a shelf life of about 10 years or so. And, we would not receive funding from the MSBA for this type of project. In essence, this is kicking the can down the road and investing a significant amount of money into a short-term band-aid. While less than ideal, we still must plan for this alternative as not addressing these issues is not an option.
Below are links to documents you can view that go over this modular plan in more detail, including site plans for where the modulars would be located at the Dawe, Gibbons, and Hansen. Please keep in mind that cost estimates included here do not include ancillary costs and overall costs for the modular project would be significantly higher.
