Unexpected costs force school officials to reassess JFK project

A planned four-room addition to the John F. Kennedy elementary school –– considered a no-brainer at the bargain price of $900,000 — is suddenly up for debate amid news that the project would trigger a new fire safety regulation and require the installation of a $300,000 sprinkler system.

Speaking at last Thursday’s School Committee meeting, Superintendent Jeff Granatino said the new regulation would only apply if the building is altered, which presents an obvious dilemma for a school system in need of more real estate yet considerably short on finances.

Although funding for the addition itself was included in the school department’s current capital budget, Granatino said committee members must now decide whether the new classrooms are worth taking on an additional capital expense in order to pay for the sprinklers. He said another option is to file an appeal with the state’s Automatic Sprinkler Appeals Board and possibly obtain a waiver that would allow them to phase in the sprinkler system over a number of years.

School business manager Ken Leon cautioned against going that route, however, advising the committee to first make up its mind on the project as a whole before pursuing any cost-saving measures.

“We shouldn’t go forward with an appeal unless we’re going to seriously fund [the project],” Leon said.

He also warned committee members not to count on state reimbursement funds from the Mass School Building Authority, although he acknowledged that such funding was still a possibility.

Leon, in fact, played the role of pragmatist all evening, at one point generating exasperated laughter when he reminded the committee that the existing modular classrooms at the Hansen school still needed to be updated — which means the Hansen will also need a new sprinkler system soon enough.

Leon did provide a bit of good news, namely that the JFK project could still be finished in time for the next school year if the committee opted to move forward with the plan.

However, at least one member, Chairman Reuki Schutt, said she needed to be “resold on the idea,” particularly in light of the added costs.

“What’s it going to be like if we didn’t do it? I want to really see that analysis,” Schutt said, adding, “I don’t think any one of us fully understands the pros and cons of this decision.”

Other members, including newcomer Jill Stevens, seemed a bit more convinced. She pointed to the recent enrollment increases and the possibility of future housing developments, such as the Roseland project off Randolph Street, as reasons to move forward with the project.

Committee member Cindy Thomas added that the new rooms could open up more space for special education programs, which she said would save the district money by cutting down on the number of out-of-district placements.

Leon said the project would also allow them to add kindergarten classes at the JFK while opening up more space at the other two schools, where currently some of the special subjects, such as music, are operating without a classroom.

In other School Committee news:

* Director of Technology Colleen McCarthy presented the committee with a revised acceptable use policy for users of the school system’s computer network. McCarthy said the policy had not been updated in at least a decade and was no longer a point of emphasis for the students or the staff. She said the new policy is far more comprehensive in scope and “sets a very clear picture” of what can and cannot be done on a school-owned computer.

Besides including a new provision on bullying, the updated policy also prohibits online chats and social networking sites of a “non-educational nature,” such as Facebook. However, when prompted, McCarthy agreed that such sites could be useful in a school setting — for instance, as a way for a sports team or club to communicate — but she stressed the need for more education, particularly around the issue of privacy, before the sites can be made available.

While the committee agreed with the updated policy in theory, members offered a wide range of suggestions, most of which were related to the wording of the document. Thomas also suggested that McCarthy add a cover letter to the copy that would be sent home to parents; that way, she said, parents would not only understand the importance of the policy, but would know who to contact if they needed any clarification.

* The superintendent reported that construction on the new Luce school bus loop has been completed, with the exception of the asphalt pouring, which he expects to be finished sometime early next week. Despite the fact that the project experienced a few minor delays, Granatino said Principal Robie Peter and her staff did a great job managing the situation, especially during the opening weeks of school.

* The School Committee granted permission to Galvin Middle School Principal Tom LaLiberte to organize an eighth grade class trip to Philadelphia and New York City during the week of May 31 to June 3. Schutt said the trip will cost students $620, approximately $200 cheaper than the cost of the traditional Washington, D.C. trip.

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Posted by Jay Turner on Sep 30 2010. Filed under News, Schools. Both comments and pings are currently closed.