School Committee adjusts, discusses JBMS

BELCHERTOWN – The School Committee reorganized at its first meeting following the annual town election.

Heidi Gutekenst was reelected not only to the committee, but also as chair. Ruby Bansal was elected as vice chair.

Members also determined which subcommittees they would be on. Amy Wilson-LaMothe and Lamikco Magee are on the healthy and safer schools subcommittee and the curriculum and instruction subcommittee.

Natalie Santana and Wilson-LaMothe are on the personnel and policy subcommittee.

Gutekenst and Bansal are on the property and transportation subcommittee. Magee is also serving as a representative for Belchertown with the Collaborative for Education.

Following its reorganization, the School Committee discussed the progress of the Jabish Brook Middle School building project. The district was invited into the possibility of a new school.

Superintendent Brian Cameron spoke of an architectural firm and a project manager. “We are in the process of submitting some documentation… We are in the middle of revising the education plan, which entails everything from class sizes to sample scheduling to school security to lunch rotations,” he said.

The current proposal is to make Jabish Brook Middle School a “true” middle school, meaning grades six, seven and eight.

“That means from here that pre-k and kindergarten would go over to Swift River and third grade would go to Chestnut Hill,” he said. “We would then close Cold Springs School, which is our most costly building to maintain.”

Swift River would house grades pre-k to second grade, Chestnut Hill would house grades three to five, Jabish Brook would house six to eight and the high school would be home to grades nine through 12.

“There’s been great feedback from educators on what they want their classrooms to look like,” he said. “However, there are guidelines. For example, in middle school you don’t get a separate auditorium, or you might get a half-auditorium. If we wanted a full one, we would have to pay for it.”

Middle schools also do not have a full court in the gym unless that’s going to be paid for by the town.

Gutekenst asked if the current gym at the middle school was a full court, and Cameron said yes because it was formerly the high school until the current high school was constructed.

He added that the Recreation Department has been working with the architectural firm to contribute what their needs would be to maintain the facilities when in use.

Cameron said he wanted everyone to realize there are options that will be considered.

“They could renovate the current Jabish Brooke, they may do an addition or a whole new construction,” he said. “Although we want a new construction, they may say, ‘Oh well, too bad, we’re only going to add a new wing.’”

The district previously bought two lots near Jabish in anticipation of the potential construction.

There will be a joint meeting with the Selectboard, School Committee and Finance Committee on June 27 to view all the proposals assembled by the project manager. It will be up to the Massachusetts School Building Authority to make the final decision.

Cameron said the board will state what the district qualified for.

Bansal asked if the district had to explore each option available.

“We have to submit plans for a new school, an addition or a renovation,” she said.

Cameron said she was correct, and the decision would be based on the feasibility study.

“We have to think of it for the next 50 years,” Cameron said. “And I want to give Dr. Shawn Fortin because all the classrooms we go into have a projector in the ceiling. He said we want to have more flexibility.”

He said the anticipated timeline with the project would be opening doors in the fall of 2027.