Several high-profile school building projects in New Bedford were accepted, advanced, or had funds awarded during the December meeting of the Massachusetts School Building Authority.
Two notable developments were: a $70 million award to assist in the construction of a new DeValles Elementary, which will house students from the current DeValles and Congdon schools upon its completion; and the acceptance of a statement of interest to build a new Ashley Elementary, into which current Ashley and Swift schools would eventually merge.
Through the building authority’s actions on Wednesday, New Bedford moves closer to replacing four century-old elementary schools. In total, there are eight schools in New Bedford at least 100 years old, which contributes to an average building age of 64 years across the district.
“The district continues to focus on our school buildings and seeks the learning environments our staff and students deserve,” said interim Superintendent Andrew O’Leary.
Partnership with the MSBA allows New Bedford to construct new buildings at a 60-80% discount, which means more and higher-quality projects than the district could afford on its own. O’Leary called the MSBA partnership “a success story” on Wednesday, saying the agency has “considerably improved our ability to plan for and manage school renovation and replacement.”
“Upon completion, this project will provide a new 21st century learning environment for students in New Bedford,” said state treasurer Deborah Goldberg.
A spokesperson for the MSBA added: “It’s a good day for New Bedford.”
Though pleased with Wednesday’s news, O’Leary said that there’s still more work needed to address school-building inequality across the commonwealth: “We continue to be clear that the state of Massachusetts must do more to address the inequities revealed in any wider assessment of its urban school buildings.”
Aging schools have long been an issue in New Bedford. Today, more than 8,000 students are enrolled in the 15 New Bedford school buildings that were built in 1977 or earlier, a population that would be among the dozen largest districts in the state on its own.
O’Leary continued: “The state’s most at-risk students attend the oldest schools — schools with accessibility needs and unreliable plumbing, electric, and mechanical systems. Massachusetts should not stop examining creative capital financing options… to move as many students as possible” into the same quality buildings as nearby towns.
There are over 1,100 students going to school in the four buildings now in the pipeline for an MSBA partnership. The buildings themselves are showing signs of age, with boiler systems that break in the winter and plastic windows that let in sparse light.
Among the four schools, more than 80% — or 911 elementary-aged kids — are considered “low income” by the state. Almost 500 of them don’t speak English as their first language. These populations are nearly double the statewide averages.
If all goes well, the new Ashley school could be ready to open in 2029.
The DeValles project is further along. At the November School Committee meeting, renderings of the new building were presented by T2 Architecture, the same firm that produced the award-winning Jacobs Elementary in New Bedford’s South End.
The architects also presented price estimates for their design, which show a total cost to the city of $42 million. With MSBA grants and other funds from the federal Inflation Reduction Act, that figure represents a more than 60% discount and is within the city’s capital improvement budget.
The designs include generous hallways, classrooms and outdoor spaces, plus environmentally-friendly features like a heat pump system to regulate temperature.
The DeValles project could be ready within three years.
Meanwhile, School Committee members said they hope that the growing number of projects in New Bedford demonstrates to the MSBA that the district is committed to and deserving of new schools.
Finance subcommittee member Bruce Oliveira told The Light that School Committee members and administrators have started thinking about a proposal to replace New Bedford High: “Our high school is 55 years old,” he said. “And it’s not going to get less expensive to do.”
New Bedford High is the fourth-largest school in Massachusetts.
Lastly, the MSBA board on Wednesday approved final audits for projects completed at Parker Elementary and Trinity Day Academy (the district’s small alternative school). These smaller-scale renovations to the roof and boiler of those buildings, respectively, were completed without a hitch.
Email Colin Hogan at chogan@newbedfordlight.org
If only Boston could get updates or replacements to some if their over 100 schools. Way to go New Bedford!