Vote ‘Yes for GMS!’

By Guest

Dear Editor:

I started the Yes for GMS! group to support the new Galvin Middle School proposal because I have seen firsthand the need for a new building, and how many years our community has invested in planning for these two upcoming votes. I also understand that the urgency created by the nature of the $72M reimbursement from the MSBA makes this a one-shot opportunity or we have to start over.

I attended visioning sessions for this back in 2017 as a hopeful parent with very young kids. Nowadays, two of my children have spent a collective five-plus years at the GMS. My hopes slowly faded after three years of rejected applications to the MSBA reimbursement program (2018-20), until 2021, when Canton was finally admitted to the program. There is a long waitlist for acceptance into this vital program because every community recognizes the transformative opportunity for cost savings and guidance the MSBA offers.

If we do not pass this vote, construction costs will continue to rise while we pay for repairs of an outdated building, which has recently sustained two major water damage events. Canton would be ousted from the MSBA program and would need to start over if we do not pass this funding vote. It could take another 10 years due to the high demand across the state for acceptance to the program. School construction bid prices were an average of $371/sq ft. in 2016 (per MSBA) when we commenced the School Building Facilities Assessment and Master Plan. Over this time, the new GMS proposal bid has risen to $863/sq ft, which is in line with other comparable school construction projects in the same year. In October 2001, we had to deal with having our children home for a week without notice because a water line break damaged and closed GMS for a week. A pipe broke in December 2022, damaging the guidance office and closing the building, fortunately during winter break.

21st-century school buildings provide inviting, collaborative spaces with plentiful natural light, in academic neighborhood format; this a stark contrast to the current obsolete GMS building. I remember my first visit to an open house; it only took a few minutes to notice the many windowless rooms, crowded classrooms, stuffy air, and dark and dated-looking shared spaces in the cafeteria, library, and gymnasium. Seeing is believing, and taking a look at pictures of new schools and their designs in our peer communities such as Natick, Braintree, and Norwood is exciting and inspiring.

Four years from now, as we walk our kids into the first day at the brand-new Galvin Middle School, we can proudly remember when a fragmented Canton united — and put future generations first — to fund this amazing new school. Please join me and vote “Yes for GMS” at Special Town Meeting on Monday, November 18, and hopefully at your local precinct on a ballot on December 10.

Proudly,

Steve MacPherson

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