State Grants Swampscott $34 Million For New Elementary School

SWAMPSCOTT, MA —Swampscott officials plan to seek a special town meeting in September and town-wide vote in October on a $64 million debt exclusion for a new twin elementary school after the Massachusetts School Building Authority allocated up to $34,350,000 in grant funding to the project on Wednesday.

If approved this fall, construction could begin in 2022 with the new twin elementary school — replacing the three existing elementary schools buildings that average 90 years old — by 2024.

"I am happy that the MSBA agrees that we could not just replace one elementary school, while the rest of our elementary school kids stay in such old, outdated and inadequate buildings," said Suzanne Wright, Chair of the Swampscott School Building Committee and a member of the Swampscott School Committee in a news release from the town. "I am also excited for our amazing teachers — who finally will have an elementary school building that fully supports their dedication to educating our kids."

The proposed new school at the site of the current Stanley Elementary School would serve students in kindergarten through fourth grade. The town said plans for the school were the result of "a multi-year community dialogue, including residents, educators, parents and student input."

"This district-wide K-4 school building meets the broadest combination of educational vision priorities and addresses the needs of all of our students," Superintendent of Schools Pamela Angelakis said in the release. "Any other choice would have resulted in many of our students continuing to learn in outdated and insufficient learning spaces for at least the next decade. I look forward to the day, coming soon, when all of our teachers and youngest students come together in a 21st-century learning environment."

The Select Board will next call for a special town meeting on Sept. 13 and a town-wide vote in October to try to get debt exclusion approved.

Town Administrator Sean Fitzgerald said the MSBA grant was more than projected and that the town has been preparing for the school for five years through creating "historically high financial reserves" while keeping single-family tax bills stable.

"This is a moment for Swampscott," Fitzgerald determined.

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(Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at Scott.Souza@Patch.com. Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)