Canton School Committee approves JFK project in split vote

By Jay Turner

After being reminded of the severity of the elementary schools’ space crunch by new superintendent Jeff Granatino, the Canton School Committee last week decided to spend approximately $300,000 more than anticipated in order to build four new classrooms at the John F. Kennedy School.

In a rare split vote, four of the committee’s five members agreed in principle to commit the additional funds — which are needed to install a building-wide sprinkler system as required by a new fire safety regulation — while committee member John Bonnanzio opposed the motion, arguing that the schools would be better served by saving the money to address potential shortfalls in the operating budget.

Convinced that the worst budget years are yet to come, Bonnanzio urged restraint while warning of an impending fiscal apocalypse — not just locally but at the state and federal levels — fueled by rampant overspending and crushing amounts of debt.

“We’re living on make-believe money, all of us,” he insisted, adding that “the pie,” or the town’s revenues, “is shrinking and it’s shrinking very rapidly.”

Although he did not dispute the need for more building space, Bonnanzio wanted the committee to continue to look for cheaper alternatives. However, according to the other members, the JFK addition was and still is their most affordable short-term fix — a point that was driven home in a presentation by Granatino earlier in the meeting.

Besides providing a detailed overview of the school system’s space needs, the superintendent’s presentation also contained the original rationale behind the Kennedy project as well as a reminder why other ideas, such as a plan to convert the Rodman Center into a fourth elementary school, were ultimately abandoned.

In the case of the Rodman, the committee had determined that there were too many “insurmountable obstacles,” including a lack of available space for a playground and concerns over redistricting, among others.

While acknowledging that a fourth school would be an ideal long-term solution, Granatino said the four extra rooms at the JFK would at least accomplish a few goals in the meantime, such as bringing kindergarten classes back to the JFK and opening up space for special education programs to help “keep Canton students in Canton and out of costly out-of-district placements.”

In terms of paying for the project, Granatino said the original $900,000 estimate has already been approved as part of the current capital budget. He said the remaining $300,000 for the sprinkler system could come from a number of possible sources, including funds previously earmarked for energy upgrades if it was determined that the upgrades were not feasible. He said they are also planning to file an appeal with the state’s Automatic Sprinkler Appeals Board, and they are still waiting to hear back from the Mass School Building Authority regarding a possible reimbursement of up to 40 percent of the project’s total cost.

Either way, School Business Manager Ken Leon said the addition will likely not be finished by next September as was originally projected.

But despite all the uncertainty and the warnings from Bonnanzio, the committee eventually agreed that the benefits of the project greatly outweighed the risks.

“I think it’s better to have four classrooms in a year and a half than to have no classrooms in a year and a half,” concluded Chairman Reuki Schutt.

In other School Committee news:

* Granatino reported that the new Luce School bus loop, located on the Pleasant Street side of the building, was recently paved and was awaiting finishing touches as of last Thursday night.

* Peter Boucher, K-12 wellness coordinator, provided an update on the progress of the bullying committee, which was formed to ensure that the school system complies with the state’s new anti-bullying law. Boucher said the committee is quickly growing and is currently in search of parent and community representatives. He said they will soon have a bully prevention plan in place and are beginning to develop a system-wide policy that must be completed by June.

Boucher also listed some of the committee’s other accomplishments to date, including the creation of an informational website currently accessible through www.cantonma.org, the launching of both a SADD chapter and the Boomerang Project — a peer leadership program — at Canton High School, as well as the creation of a bullying tip line at the Galvin Middle School.

Boucher said the committee is also working on a training program for staff members and is planning to host two informational nights for parents, one to address bullying in grades K-5 and the other in grades 6-12.

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