Uxbridge forum to discuss fate of middle school

UXBRIDGE – The Uxbridge School Building Study Group (SBSG) will be hosting a community forum later this month to solicit public input on the panel’s proposed school campus reconfiguration plan, which includes the temporary closure of the McCloskey Middle School starting in September of 2018.

The forum will be held Aug. 23 at 6 p.m. in the McCloskey Middle School auditorium.

According to a report issued in June, the SBSG is recommending a reconfiguration of the district to house pre-kindergarten-Grade 3 at the Taft Early Learning Center; Grades 4-7 at the Whitin Intermediate School; and Grades 8-12 at Uxbridge High School.

According to the group’s recommendation, program and service models will not change for Grades PreKindergarten through 7. In fact, only one grade level of students (Grade 6 in school year 2017-18) will need to move back to their previous school building (Whitin) in school year 2018-2019. For Grades 3, 4, 7, and 8, the district is planning for the staff to move with or to the students.

For Grade 8, the program model will change slightly in the areas of course electives, extra and co-curricular activities, and interscholastic athletic opportunities, but these opportunities will expand from the current Grade 8 offerings. Also, due to the expected enrollment over the next several years, there will be no need for building expansion at Uxbridge High School to accommodate grade 8 students and staff.

As part of its recommendation, the group is also proposing the temporary closure of the circa 1937 McCloskey Middle School, which will allow the town to either renovate the building or provide adequate time for the town to consider other options for the building long-term.

The capital improvements for the McCloskey Middle School could cost in excess of $10 million based on a 2010 cost analysis conducted by Raymond Design Associates.

The SBSG was formed in October 2016 to address enrollment projects, the conditions of the district’s four school campuses, potential renovation requirements to keep buildings functional, and grade configuration for students.

In May of this year, the committee arrived at three conclusions:

• Student enrollment, which is expected to decline over the next three years, does not warrant four school buildings.

The district expects to enroll 1,772 students for the 2017-2018 school year, and the enrollment drop is expected to continue. Enrollment decline has been recognized throughout most regions of Massachusetts in recent years, but especially in the Blackstone Valley.

The current population of the Uxbridge Public Schools ( 1,772) is significantly smaller with four campuses than the district’s population in 2004-2005 (2,173) when it functioned with three campuses. With 401 fewer students today, the study group says it is confident the district can close one school without sacrificing programs and services for our students.

• The town cannot afford to operate and properly maintain four school campuses at this time. With cap- ital improvement needs for all four schools and operational expense needs for student programs and services, the removal of a school from operations is needed for the Uxbridge Public Schools to sustain adequate educational programs and services for our students.

• Significant renovations are needed for the McCloskey Middle School that will require students and staff to move to other schools if or when renovations occur.

If the School Committee decides to renovate McCloskey Middle School and keep the building as the fourth campus, the renovation work will be so extensive that students and staff will need to move to different buildings anyway, the study group says.

A cost analysis report, which was conducted in 2010 to determine the cost of a new high school building project and timeline for completion versus renovations to the McCloskey building, estimated 36 to 48 months for construction duration.

“Again, the work need for the building is so broad and extensive that we believe that it is both disruptive to teaching and learning and unsafe for construction to occur while school is in session,” the group says in its report..

As the preparation work to reconfigure grade levels begins, the study group says it begin a public information campaign to acquaint residents about the conditions of the McCloskey Middle School and explain why the grade level school model adjustments are the best solutions under the existing conditions.

The School Committee has authorized the school administration to notify the Massachusetts School Building Authority of the district’s intent to close the McCloskey Middle School, at least for a temporary period of time.

The School Building Study Group includes School Supt. Kevin Carney, Town Manager David Genereux, High School Principal Michael Rubin, McCloskey Middle School Principal Leanne DeMarco and several other school officials, parents and residents, including, Rachael Frazer, Barry McCloskey, Jane Keegan, Brian Hyde, Patrick Mistler, Michael Belanger, Christine Cronin, Matthew Keane, Jim Hogan, Derek Normandin, Lori Fafard, Marla Sirois.