Swampscott panel backs new district-wide elementary school

SWAMPSCOTT – In a unanimous vote, the Swampscott School Building Committee chose to support construction of a new district-wide elementary school next to the middle school on Forest Avenue.The committee backed a plan for a four-story building for 635 students over building a new neighborhood school or renovating existing ones, explaining that consolidation would better serve all students in town and allow for shared services and materials.Assistant Superintendent Pamela Angelakis said after a “powerful” open forum last Wednesday where parents spoke to keep the respective neighborhood schools, she found through her own research that the bigger elementary school would be more “educationally sound.”School Committee member Carin Marshall added that it seemed that parents all wanted to keep the neighborhood schools at first. “But when you dig down and get to the nitty-gritty, you see that it?s not a good idea,” she said. “It only helps a third of the kids.”Town Administrator Thomas Younger and Facilities Manager Garrett Baker agreed that a consolidated location would save on cost and be an opportunity for elementary students to have a new building with updated equipment.?The facilities available to students would provide opportunities we don?t have now,” said Angelakis. She added that the same opportunity would apply to having all the faculty in one place for collaboration.The committee will now wait to receive approval from the Massachusetts School Building Authority for reimbursement of about half of the project?s estimated $38 million cost.If approval is granted, the committee, with architectural and design assistance, will work to create a schematic design that would detail information on traffic, drainage and layout, which many neighbors expressed concerns over at the three open forums.Committee member Glenn Paster said he didn?t blame the neighbors, but, he added, “Unless we build it on the ninth green, we?re going to upset somebody because that?s just what happens with one of the smallest communities in the state.”Town Meeting members will ultimately make the decision in the spring whether to accept the committee?s endorsement and approve the new school.