Haverhill advances JG Whittier feasibility study after MSBA enrollment certification
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Summary
Haverhill received MSBA enrollment certification and authorized a feasibility study to evaluate three options for JG Whittier school — renovate, expand or rebuild — with configurations ranging from roughly 745 to 1,325 students; the study will also examine possible consolidation with Tilton and impacts on Penn Lake.
Superintendent Dr. Morata told the School Committee on Feb. 27 that Haverhill has received enrollment certification from the Massachusetts School Building Authority and will move forward with a feasibility study for the JG Whittier (JGW) school building project.
Dr. Morata said the district will solicit bids for a yearlong feasibility study that will examine three main options: a JGW serving roughly 745 students (current-style configuration), a mid-size JGW of about 1,045 students that would incorporate Tilton and change Penn Lake to K–4 with JGW covering 4–8, or a larger JGW of about 1,325 students that would free up space at Penn Lake to add preschool seats. "The feasibility study will look at those three options and ... the best configuration for the school," she said.
Dr. Morata said JGW's current enrollment is roughly 500 students and the district has about 46 fifth-graders attending Penn Lake because of overcrowding. She also noted that the MSBA will not fund standalone preschool buildings; using a larger middle-school configuration could create room at Penn Lake for additional preschool capacity.
Attorney Russell asked for clarification about how grade assignments would move between Penn Lake and JGW under the options; Dr. Morata responded that the options would not split individual grades between schools but instead shift entire grades (for example, Penn Lake would be K–3 or K–4, while JGW would be 4–8 or 3–8 depending on the option).
The committee discussed the study timeline and next steps; Dr. Morata said the district will run a bid process to select a firm to conduct the feasibility study and will return with recommendations after the study completes.