Contributed by Joe Stewart

Wrentham voters will be asked to approve funding for a Roderick School replacement feasibility study at this fall’s Special Town Meeting, scheduled for Monday, November 13 beginning at 7 p.m. at the King Philip Regional High School auditorium. 

Although the warrant will not be published until October 23, residents can expect the expenditure will be listed, according to Phil Jordan, the chairman of the Wrentham Elementary School Committee.

Dr. Allan Cameron, Superintendent of Wrentham Public Schools, said that in late 2022, the Roderick School was invited to enter the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA) “Eligibility Period,” which begins the process of MSBA grant funding for school building projects.  Dr.Cameron noted that the Roderick School was invited into the program on its first request - this is unusual and indicates that the MSBA ranks the school’s needs as compelling and the Wrentham community’s readiness as high.  

According to the MSBA, the Roderick School is 55 years old - it opened in 1968 and was last renovated in 1988.  Glenn Gillespie, Wrentham Public Schools Facilities Manager, attended fourth, fifth, and sixth grades in the Roderick, graduating in 1978.  He joined the district’s staff in 1998 and was appointed Facilities Manager in 2014.  

Gillespie highlighted ongoing problems with the school building.  In the 1950s, single pane windows and pneumatic heating systems were common, and neither are particularly efficient; today, schools are built to much higher efficiency standards.  Furthermore, the pneumatic system uses a continuous earthen trench that passes under every heated space in the school.  When repairs are needed, floors are torn up, repairs performed, and then the floor replaced.  

Dr. Cameron noted the impacts to students and teachers, highlighting the small classrooms (800 square feet vs. today’s 1,150 square feet) and the noise in classrooms, especially those surrounding the combination gym-cafeteria, a 1950’s innovation that did not stand the test of time.

The next step in the MSBA process is to conduct a feasibility study, funding for which requires Town Meeting approval. The MSBA typically provides grants that cover up to 48% of project costs.  Jordan, the school committee chair, estimates that the cost to the town will be less than $500K and would likely not require borrowing.

When asked why voters should vote to approve funding, Jordan said, “Our schools are our jewels, they draw families to Wrentham, making our community more vibrant and increasing property values.” He also noted that sharing nearly 50% of project costs with the State is better than the town shouldering all the costs. And he highlighted that Wrentham has a unique opportunity to build a school for the future, one that leverages advances in technology and its use in classrooms as well as one that can mitigate the effects of climate change on learning--where once educators accounted for “snow days” in the academic calendar, they’re now planning for “heat days” in September, May, and June.

For more information, visit the Roderick School Building Project at https://bit.ly/RoderickProject.