MSBA to review Marblehead plans for Glover School

MARBLEHEAD – The School Committee wants parents and students to know that they aren’t dealing with their parents’ school building assistance program – and no schools are earmarked for closing, renovation or construction yet.In fact, although the plan the Facilities Master Plan Committee refers to as the Glover School plan has gained preliminary state approval there could be as much as 18 months of wrangling before the town sees any firm design for the construction of a new school.Superintendent of Schools Paul Dulac told the committee Thursday evening that the Massachusetts School Building Authority, the state’s new school construction oversight agency, has assigned Sean Walsh as the MSBA to Marblehead, one of 49 communities to pass the agency’s first hurdle, beating out 113 other community applicants to make it to the so-called Feasibility Study Phase.As Facilties Committee chair Pat Blackmer said, "There’s no guarantee that (we) will have the money. They just invited (us) back."The committee has formulated a plan to consolidate the upper and lower Glover schools and the Eveleth School into a new expanded Eveleth School. The fate of the Glover School was undecided pending further discussions as the process evolved.Under the School Building Assistance Bureau, the state would simply fund that plan. Under the new Massachusetts School Building Authority, however, the state will discuss those plans with Marblehead and come up with a mutual solution."Our situation is more complicated than other towns’ situations," Dulac said. "Our elementary schools work in tandem and we have a lot of options to consider.The Facilities Committee is scheduled to meet next week to discuss the feasibility process and planned capital improvements to the Marblehead Village School and Gerry School. Two community forums are scheduled in January to get input from parents.