ESSEX — Essex Elementary School needs to be replaced and even as the Manchester Essex Regional School District School Committee considers options for the project, it is grappling with changing enrollment figures that will drive some decisions on the project’s design.
Superintendent Pam Beaudoin updated committee members and the public during a Zoom committee meeting last week.
Previous enrollment projections for Essex Elementary School have changed over the years — pointing to recent home construction projects, Beaudoin said.
“Enrollments change,” she said. “Times have changed. We’re making a major investment to building. We’re investing millions and millions of dollars into this project.”
One possible solution to the recent jump in enrollment that Beaudoin asked board members to consider is moving Essex schoolchildren into Memorial Elementary School in Manchester-by-the-Sea. Memorial Elementary was built in 2021 for $52.2 million, to house up to 335 pupils.
“Should we be kicking the tires again on whether or not we could merge the two elementary schools?” Beaudoin asked. “Could Memorial, in effect, become the site at which we renovate or remodel to incorporate Essex students there?”
Another remedy to recent the enrollment jump might be to split up the Essex children into lower and upper pupils groups, with the older children potentially placed at Memorial Elementary School, she said.
Beaudoin cautioned the possible solutions are just considerations, but said the School Committee supports discussion of the ideas.
“I think the good news is we are clear to look at all the questions the School Committee felt we needed to,” she said, adding once the Essex School Building Committee looks at the report on the matter, there should be support to move forward with a building plan.
School Committee member Theresa Whitman said discussion about the matter has been prudent.
“It did seem as if we had a good conversation about the order of operation and how to accomplish this in a way that doesn’t turn into a cycle of spinning wheels,” she said. “It felt positive.”
In January 2023, the Massachusetts School Building Authority recommended and approved the Essex Elementary School for admission into the eligibility phase of its grant process. Being accepted means the school has been identified as being one of the neediest schools in the state and is a good candidate for the grant program.
The MSBA grant program provides technical assistance and financial support — at a minimum of 30% reimbursement — for the planning and construction of a new and or renovated school.
In autumn 2022, the school district commissioned Habeeb & Associates to conduct a needs assessment to provide a data-based resource to guide the development of a timeline to address the replacement of Essex Elementary School and a plan for maintaining Manchester Essex Regional Middle School — which will reach its “half-life” in 2034.
The survey results, reported to the community in November 2022, showed Essex Elementary School had passed its useful life. The study identified about $9 million in capital investments needed to maintain the school.
Participation in the MSBA program will allow the school district to work with the MSBA team of experts to conduct a feasibility study to determine the most cost-effective solution for providing a renovated/rebuilt facility.
Stephen Hagan may be contacted at 978-675-2708, or shagan@gloucestertimes.com.