Facilities Master Plan II

SCHOOL CAPACITY PLANNING SUBCOMMITTEE

The focus of the School Capacity Planning Subcommittee was to aid the town in making the best decisions regarding the possible renovation, expansion and construction of schools within our community. The School Committee greatly appreciated the body of work completed by the subcommittee. The subcommittee was disbanded after the School Committee voted on September 23, 2022.

FPM II - Facilities Master Plan II Update - Approval

FMPII Presentation to the School Committee January 27, 2022

Watch a Public Forum

We are pleased to announce that the North Andover School Committee voted September 23rd to recommend several school projects to the North Andover Facilities Master Planning Committee. These projects are critical to the success of our students going forward. We presented the details of these projects at public forums held at the schools and other locations around town. If you were not able to join us at one of the public forums you can watch the taped versions to learn more about these important projects.

Read entire letter from Dr. Gilligan and Dr. Mealey
See the Final Recommendations to SC Presentation Sept 23, 2021
School Committee presentation: NA CAM video from Sept 23. Presentation starts at 34:40

School Committee Recommendation

The North Andover School Committee voted September 23rd to recommend the following school projects to the North Andover Facilities Master Planning Committee:

Renovate and add capacity to the North Andover Middle School
Renovate and add capacity to Atkinson Elementary
Renovate and add capacity to Franklin Elementary, including a new gym
Build a new Kittredge on the same site as the existing Kittredge
Build a gym for the ABECC on the site of the preschool playground and relocate the preschool playground next to the kindergarten playground

School Capacity Public Forum Presentation

Sept 23rd Presentation to School Committee

Final Report to School Committee

Subcommittee Documents

Subcommittee description & members
Meeting agendas & minutes
Timeline
School Committee presentation: Slides
School Committee presentation: YouTube video from April 1, 2021
Google Drive folder (all documents as linked below)
June School Committee presentation: YouTube video from June 24, 2021
Final Report to School Committee
Final Recommendations to SC Presentation Sept 23, 2021
School Committee presentation: NA CAM video from Sept 23. Presentation starts at 34:40
Letter announcing public forums during Fall 2021

Needs Assessment

The town hired Mount Vernon Group, an engineering firm, in 2020 to conduct a comprehensive building assessment of the four schools affected by this project. These assessments included the building envelope, the roofing system, the interior conditions, structural systems, and all mechanical systems. The report provided some initial design options and estimated costs. The cost estimates are preliminary and based on current industry costs per square foot.

Facilities assessment were conducted in 2007/2008 to determine the utilization of each elementary school. The assessments focused on the suitability of each elementary school to meet its educational requirements, as well as identify shortfalls and issues. The assessments were used as the basis for identified needs as part of Facilities Master Plan Phase I. Some School Department needs were met in the first phase, but the major school renovations and additions were planned to be a part of Facilities Master Plan Phase II.

Enrollment Data

A key variable in the scope of this project is current and projected enrollment data. The town hired Arthur Wagman to analyze the enrollment projections provided by the Royal Crest Development firm. He was also asked to provide enrollment projections for the whole town to help inform our decisions around the need for future capacity in our schools. In addition, the town hired TBA Architects to act as a third party reviewer to further vet enrollment projections.

Grade Configuration

The renovation of the schools provides an opportunity to reconsider the way grade levels are currently configured, which is stand-alone K, 1-5, 6-8, and 9-12. School grade configuration is the span of grades served by an individual school.

There are options to traditional grade configurations that take into consideration potential gains in student achievement, better use of facilities, and budget/space needs. Much of the research for this topic focuses on the best placement for 6th grade – elementary school vs. middle school level. Several of the model options propose different grade configurations for the school system.

Proposed Models

Since December, the committee has been identifying and vetting various models for consideration by the School Committee, to aid in its recommendation to the Facilities Master Plan Committee. The mission of the sub-committee is to identify all of the possible various models for these school projects and to try to ascertain the most important factors to our community in order to make an informed recommendation to the School Committee.

The issues being used to vet these models include:

neighborhood schools or grade-based schools;
the number of transitions our students experience;
the most ideal placement for 6th grade;
the degree of and impact of any needed redistricting;
enrollment projections;
actual capacity and projected needed capacity of our schools;
price of projects; and
construction timing/phasing.
Proposed Models

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SCHOOL CAPACITY PLANNING SUBCOMMITTEE