New Quincy Special Education School Proposed

QUINCY, MA — A new special education school is being proposed for Quincy's public schools. The new building would enable the district to keep an estimated 30 to 40 Quincy students with special needs within the school district, rather than sending those students outside of the district to meet their educational needs, according to Superintendent Richard DeCristofaro. The city is currently negotiating an $8.5 million cost for the new building, and that cost would include the necessary upgrades to the building, said Mayor Thomas Koch.

The proposal is coming before the Quincy Selectmen on Monday. If the Selectmen approve the proposal, the project would then turn to the city's School Committee, which would work with DeCristofaro on logistics and further details. DeCristofaro said that the students' parents would play a vital role in the making of plans for the new school. Without their approval, the project will not go forward, he said in a press conference Tuesday.

DeCristofaro described the new building as being "four walls with an incredible amount of hope."

The building that would be purchased is located on Old Colony Avenue.

"Today we send out a lot of children outside the district to get the care and specialties that they need with their challenges," said Koch. "With this building, we'll be able to keep many of our kids, in Quincy, without having to be on a bus, at least an hour or two a day."

Koch estimated that the school district could save $300,000 to $400,000 per year with having its own school that serves students with special needs, in addition to neighboring school districts that may want to send their children to that school with tuition, as opposed to paying to have Quincy's students with special needs being sent outside of the district.

"This is a win-win not only for the families of our city, but also for the taxpayers of our city," said Koch. He said that the staff working at the new school would be "second to none."

He also said that school officials hope the new school can open in September 2020.