REPORT OF THE
HIGH SCHOOL BUILDING COMMITTEE
April 27, 2006
This
update is a summary of the work of the High School Building Committee (HSBC)
since the Annual Town Meeting on April 28, 2005. The work of the HSBC, since its formation in January 2004, is
summarized in the Report of the HSBC published in the January 2005 Special Town
Meeting Warrant. It and the more
extensive Preliminary Design Report are both available on the School Committee
web site (www.waylandschoolcommittee.org) and at the Wayland Public Library.
Over
the past year, the HSBC met four times.
Agenda topics included the design, implementation, and results of a
town-wide written survey on Wayland High School, the report of the New England
Association of Schools and Colleges accreditation review of Wayland High
School, and the progress of the Massachusetts School Building Authority funding
program for school facilities.
Information on these topics is available on the School Committee web
site and at the Wayland Public Library.
High School
Survey – In
June 2005 a survey on the Wayland High School project was mailed to 7,921
active voters of which 2,075 (26%) responded.
Over the fall, volunteers keyed data and analyzed results. The HSBC released a detailed report in
December 2005 (available at www.waylandschoolcommittee.org and at the
library). The HSBC concluded that,
while the survey is not based on a random sample and is not predictive, the
results of the survey are useful for general trends.
Report of the
New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC) - In Fall 2005
the NEASC Commission issued its report on Wayland High School. While continuing accreditation and
commending Wayland High School for its excellent program, the commission
expressed serious concerns related to the physical condition, over-crowding,
lack of handicap accessibility, and lack of health and safety code compliance
in the facility. It required school
officials to submit a special progress report by April 1, 2006 providing
detailed plans on addressing facilities, space, accessibility, and health and
safety concerns.
Massachusetts
School Building Authority - Katherine Craven, Executive Director
of the MSBA, met with two HSBC members, the Chairman of the Wayland School
Committee, and the Business Manager for the Wayland Public Schools in February
2006. Ms. Craven was familiar with the
Wayland High School facility. She advised
Wayland to submit a Statement of Interest this spring, as a prerequisite for
submitting official applications for funding in the summer of 2007. (See MSBA web site for details on Statement
of Interest at www.mass.gov/msba/) The
MSBA will work with Wayland over the next year to come to agreement on facility
needs. As a first step, the MSBA has
issued its District Data Report rating the condition of all school buildings in
the Commonwealth. The MSBA will hire
consultants to do independent enrollment projections and more detailed analysis
of building conditions. The MSBA is scheduled
to release final regulations in July 2006, but has not yet released draft
regulations.
Next Steps – If the article
to expand the HSBC from 11 to 15 members passes at Special Town Meeting on May
3rd, new members will be added to the existing committee. Over the next few months, the HSBC will
conduct a thorough review for both old and new HSBC members. The Statement of Interest will be completed
and submitted to the School Committee and Board of Selectmen for approval and
submission to the MSBA. The HSBC will
begin to analyze regulations and develop a plan and budget for preparing
applications.
It
is the intention of the HSBC to define a plan for Wayland High School that is
widely supported by the taxpayers of Wayland.
Building on the consensus that something needs to be done to improve the
high school facility, the HSBC will work closely with MSBA to secure state
funding and with the taxpayers of Wayland to agree on a project.
Respectfully
submitted,
Lea
T. Anderson, HSBC Chairman
High
School Building Committee Members
Lea
Anderson 508-358-2667 leaanders@comcast.net
Josh
Bekenstein 508-358-5651 jbekenstein@baincapital.com
Dianne
Bladon 508-358-0068 dehbladon@aol.com
Steve
Breit 508-358-7966 sbreit@comcast.net
Brian
Chase 508-788-1081 abchase@comcast.net
Jim
Howard 508-358-2619 howard.james@comcast.net
Mary
Lentz 617-542-4141 mlentz@mccallalmy.com
Joe
Lewin 508-653-9952 joelewin@comcast.net
Cindy
Lombardo 508-358-5958 sweetlifer@aol.com
Eric
Sheffels 508-358-5461 esheffels@aol.com
Steve
Tise 508-358-0047 setarch@aol.com