Haverhill School Committee Advances Feasibility Study to Decide J.G. Whittier School Future

John Greenleaf Whittier School. (Jay Saulnier file photograph for WHAV News.)

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After years of complaints of crowding and poor conditions at Haverhill’s John Greenleaf Whittier School, School Committee members voted last week to spend $1.2 million to study whether repair or replacement is the best option

A year ago, the Massachusetts School Building Authority voted to invite the school into an eligibility period which could lead to partial state reimbursement. School Superintendent Margaret Marotta told the Committee a feasibility study is the next step.

“The study essentially looks at grade allocation, the number so students the building should hold, what the specific components of the building might look like programmatically, where specifically the building might be located, that sort of thing.”

Committee member Yonnie Collins raised concerns over whether money from the school department would be used, citing a need to be “fiscally responsible.”

Committee Vice Chairman Richard J. Rosa clarified money for the study comes from the city side and not from the education budget, but, beyond that, he alluded to the need to go back to taxpayers.

“We wouldn’t be able to pay for this school without a debt exclusion,” Rosa said. “If the residents were not to pass a debt exclusion, we would very likely back out of the project because we wouldn’t be able to pay for it. And just so you know when you say budget, this is the city’s budget. We have to approve it because it’s the school, but this does not come out of the schools’ budget.”

With a motion by committee member Paul A. Magliocchetti seconded by Rosa, the Committee voted unanimously to authorize the city to begin work on the study, pending City Council approval.

Silver Hill School is moving further along in its process as well, with WHAV reporting in December the school was recently invited into the MSBA’s Accelerated Repair Program for its aging roof.

The Committee voted unanimously to spend $300,000 for a schematic design for that project, pending City Council approval.

The City Council is scheduled to vote on both items at a future meeting.

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