Class sizes as high as 26 in the Fourth Grade
More than $100,000 spent since July patching Hurley's heating system
Seekonk High operating at HALF its designed capacity
I moved to Seekonk seven years ago and was excited to hear that the town might be expanding Aitken, the elementary school I'd one day send my kids to. The 10-classroom expansion was intended to help reduce class sizes at the elementary level as well as return art and music back into their own dedicated spaces. I showed up at Town Meeting to support it and cast a vote in favor at the ballot box.
Fast forward to today. My oldest is slated to start kindergarten at Aitken in the Fall. Promises made about the expansion, unfortunately, weren't kept. Today, many of the rooms are used for purposes that weren't the original intent of Seekonk voters. Specials at Aitken, including art, music and tech, are again being delivered either on a cart or in the media center.
We've built out a number of self-contained special education programs in recent years, and this has helped with rising costs associated with out-of-district placements. It's also consumed a lot of space in our elementary school buildings, far more than anyone anticipated when approving the Aitken expansion.
We need to balance meeting the needs of students with highly-acute challenges with ensuring the rest of our elementary students have enough space for a high-quality educational experience, including students with Individualized Education Plans (IEPs) and 504s that aren't part of these self-contained programs.
Let's ensure we're effectively optimizing the space we have in each building across the district.
Our Elementary Schools
Students swelter in the summer and shiver in the winter due to an outdated HVAC setup. It disappointed me to see a statement of interest (SOI) to address Hurley's heating problems wasn't approved last year. Today, I'm relieved we revisited the SOI and are finally getting started.
The SOI is the equivalent of getting pre-approved for a home loan. Later this year, we'll see how much money the Massachusetts School Building Authority might offer us, and then let the community decide whether to pursue repairs or build something entirely new.
We have a ticking time bomb our on hands. Telling the Commonwealth is an important first step to a permanent fix.
Our Middle School
Our High School
The Seekonk Public Schools struggle with attrition as an increasing percentage of Eighth Graders choose to continue their education somewhere other than Seekonk High. Today, the building operates at barely 50% of its designed capacity.
We need to figure out what would make Seekonk High more appealing to Eighth Graders on both academic and vocational tracks. Our programs typically can't compete directly against what Tri-County offers.
We should evaluate what other programs not offered by Tri-County could appeal to our students. The district could apply for a waiver from the Commonwealth and, if there's an overlapping area with a professional shortage, we could develop programs that help keep students here in Seekonk.
We need to be more aggressive about promoting and marketing Seekonk High, matching — if not exceeding — the testimonials and collateral put together by Tri-County, Bristol Aggie and nearby private schools.