Middle School Feasibility Study

As summer begins, the focus has shifted from the override to the Middle School Building Project. One highly positive aspect of the override, of course, has been the fact that no instructional staff have been laid off. In fact, principals have been working hard these past few weeks hiring replacements for retiring teachers. Morale is high and all staff members are looking forward to the new school year. Once again, I would like to thank the taxpayers of Rockland for their support of the school system.

The Building Project is on the fast track and the final shape of the project is beginning to become clearer. In May, the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA) gave the district permission to look at the possibility of including partial or total renovation of Rockland High School in the project. Our architects have been working on four possible options for the building project and during the month of July, these options will be examined and their costs determined. They have been presented to the Building Committee, the School Committee, and to the public at an information meeting held on June 23^rd.

Option one is renovation of the current Middle School Building with some additional new construction. Option two calls for the demolition of the existing Middle School and the construction of a new Middle School behind that site. Option three calls for the construction of a New Middle School attached to Rockland High School, with construction of some shared instructional space and the renovation of part of the High School. Included in the shared space would be a new library/media center and a 125 seat lecture hall. Renovations to the high school could include the auditorium, the Science labs and the heating plant. The extent of the renovations depends, in large part, on the approval of the MSBA’s Board of Directors. Option four is essentially the same as option three but in this case the High School would undergo a complete renovation.

At the public information meeting, some 60 people filled out questionnaires and all except one indicated a preference for Option three or four. The advantages of joining the two schools are many. First the shared space gives new state of the art libraries to both schools. The existing High School Library would be turned into a theater space that would allow the English Department to offer an enhanced Drama curriculum. The 125 seat lecture hall could be used by an entire middle school team, for distance learning and professional development and for public meetings. A completely renovated auditorium would be a tremendous asset for both schools and for the Town of Rockland. Getting the Science labs renovated would remove any accreditation issues at the High School. In addition, having the schools joined would allow gifted Middle School students to take a high school course if that was appropriate for them. There are many other advantages.

Parents have expressed some concerns about the mixing of age groups, but the Middle School would be a separate building and the connection to the High School would be two corridors on the first floor. The classroom floors of the Middle School would have no connection to the High School.

The decision as to which option to proceed with will be made at the MSBA board meeting on July 29^th. The architects will then focus on the “preferred option” and on September 30^th the MSBA Board will vote on funding the project. Following that vote, the Town of Rockland will have 120 days to vote its share of the costs of constructing the new school. With luck, we would have a shovel in the ground in August 2010 and the new school would be open in September 2012. During the construction, the existing Middle School would continue as normal and would only be demolished after the new building is operational.

Needless to say everyone involved in this project, the Building Committee, the School Committee, and the District Administration is very excited by the rapidity with which this project is coming to fruition.

John Retchless, Superintendent of Schools, Rockland Public Schools