Hard Choices for Seekonk Schools

Members of the Select Board, School Committee, and Finance Committee gathered September 20 for a discussion about the future of Seekonk Public Schools.

Colliers was hired to conduct a Conditions Assessment of all school facilities in the summer of 2022. The firm identified a need of $42.3 million including adjustments for inflation and additional projects.

The town’s student population is expected to increase by a whopping 27 percent in the next 10 years.

“Seekonk is clearly a place where people want to live,” said Derek Osterman, the Director of Project Management Services for Colliers. “They want to go to school here, your test scores are very strong within the region and throughout the state.”

For Aitken Elementary School, Colliers identified $3.4 million in needs, including a roof replacement for “B-Wing,” replace rubber gym floor, and replace “A-Wing” corridor doors.

The building has 28 classrooms. The enrollment for the 2022-2023 school year was 525.  The maximum capacity is 575. For the 2025-2026 school year, the anticipated enrollment is 566, an increase of 41 students. As a result, some classrooms will have to be converted from special uses like art classes, into regular classrooms.

For Martin Elementary School, $6 million in needs were identified, including repaving parking lots and roadways, roof replacement, and long-term HVAC upgrades. The building has 24 classrooms with a maximum capacity of 550 students. Enrollment for the 2022-2023 school year was 456. Projected enrollment for the 2029-2030 school year is 519. As a result, the music and art rooms will have to be converted into regular classrooms and the fifth grade will have more than 25 students per classroom.

$15 million worth of needs were identified for Hurley Middle School, including an HVAC system, roof replacement, upgrade of the electrical service and distribution panels, exterior masonry, and work on the parking areas.

Although enrollment is 515 students for the 2023-2024 school year, enrollment is expected to increase to 630 students for the 2032-2033 school year. Colliers says maximum capacity for Hurley is 600 students.

Colliers identified $17.9 million in needs for Seekonk High School. These include roof replacement,  renovation of locker rooms, upgrade HVAC system, upgrade toilet rooms, refinish/replace gym floor, and cosmetic improvements. Enrollment is 533 for the current school year, but Colliers anticipates growth to 703 students for the 2032-2033 school year.

“You can make the capital improvements to maintain the buildings, but you will experience overcrowding from middle school on down,” Osterman noted.

Some committee members expressed skepticism about the projected enrollment figures.

“These numbers should probably be taken with a grain of salt,” said Kyle Juckett, noting there were fewer enrollments at the elementary level than in past years.

Options including reconfiguring some grades or constructing new schools. The cost of constructing a new middle school for Grades 5 through 8 would cost $146 million.

The cost of constructing a new middle school and converting Hurley into an intermediate school would cost $213.7 million.

The cost of constructing an addition to Hurley Middle School would cost $111.4 million.

Michael Brady, a member of the finance committee, said it would be “foolhardy” to let the schools “deteriorate.”

“I’m not opposed to building a new (school) at a reasonable cost,” Brady continued. “I just want to make sure that when we ask (residents) for millions of dollars that we can justify their trust in us.”

 “In my professional opinion, we should use the studies we have from the last ten years to triangulate data about what will be the most efficient and stable long term option for meeting both our space needs and our budgetary needs as a town,” School Superintendent Rebecca Kidwell said on September 14. “I continue to look at a school building project of any sort as part of a larger town plan that includes other departments' needs and what will best serve residents across the community.”

An October 24 special election will be held for a new $280 million facility at Tri-County Regional Vocational Technical High School in Franklin. Losing students to Tri-County remains a concern.

“We’ve got to be equally competitive in that market,” Kidwell said, noting she was “absolutely focused on providing the best high school education and community experience we can for our (Grades) 9 through 12 students.  Dr. (William) Whalen, our leadership team, and I agree that Seekonk High School should be a strong choice for any student in town, and we are continuing to build the programs and experiences to support that outcome.”

The entire meeting can be viewed on TV9 at various times.