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Parents press for repairs over mold; committee authorizes MSBA statements of interest for high school and intermediate school roofs
Summary
During public comment parents described repeated leaks and alleged health effects at Barnstable United Elementary; later the committee voted unanimously to submit two Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA) Statements of Interest seeking repair funding for roofs at Barnstable High School and Barnstable Intermediate School.
Parents and a teacher raised health and maintenance concerns about mold and leaks at Barnstable United Elementary School during the Feb. 5 public-comment period, and the school committee later voted to submit statements of interest (SOIs) to the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA) for roof replacement at Barnstable High School and Barnstable Intermediate School.
Public comment on mold: Jillian Tesco, a Centerville resident, asked the committee for greater transparency and access to repair tickets after telling the committee she had been told by staff that “her daughter’s room is leaking around a ton of electrical wires” and that the child had been relocated. Tesco said she wants “access to see the tickets” and timetables for repairs because of recurring issues. Another speaker, Jillian (spelling in transcript varied), said teachers and some families had moved children out of the school because of mold concerns, and described ongoing illnesses in children she named.
MSBA roof SOIs: Later in the meeting the committee voted to authorize the superintendent to submit two MSBA Statements of Interest. The first SOI, for Barnstable High School (744 West Main St.), cited Priority 5: aging roof with repeated leaks and increasing maintenance costs; the second SOI, for Barnstable Intermediate School (895 Falmouth Road), cited the same Priority 5 deficiency. Both motions passed unanimously.
Why it matters: Parents described immediate health and safety concerns at BUES that they say require near-term action; the MSBA SOIs are the district’s standard first step toward state partnership for larger capital repairs and can make projects eligible for future MSBA review and grants.
Ending: Committee members said they would pursue both an immediate maintenance response at affected schools and the MSBA process for longer-term repairs. The meeting later returned to vote the SOIs; both submissions were approved by unanimous vote.
