Schools
Five Things You Should Know About the Proposed Field School
Did you miss the meeting Tuesday night about the Field School options? No worries—Patch has you covered.
- The School Committee decided on a final preferred building design Tuesday night to send to the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA) in anticipation of an upcoming meeting with the MSBA. "By the end of May, we should know where we stand," said School Committee chairman Ed Heller.
- The preferred building design was one of five, and options ranged from some renovations to extreme renovations to completely rebuilding. The one selected by the School Committee calls for a one-story building, and would be a complete rebuilding rather than renovation.
- Architect Jonathan Levi, whose firm has been designing the proposed buildings, said that although it doesn't seem to make sense on the face of it, building a new structure would be cheaper overall than renovation. The reasons for this include the age of the current Field School, requiring extensive renovations, and the costs of moving students offsite while construction takes place.
- The preferred design calls for the classrooms to be laid out horizontally, with a series of small courtyards in between some of the classrooms. Levi said the inspiration for courtyards comes from the Field teachers: “There was a sense of having the children participate in that site with outdoor classroom activities," he said. The building's location would also move, to be closer to the library and the Country and Woodland elementary schools.
- The final price tag has yet to be determined, but Heller said that all the options, including the preferred option, will come within the proposed $35 million budget. If the plan is approved by the MSBA, the state will contribute about 31 percent.
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