Walpole committee approves locker change order and new desks after sixth-grade enrollment rise

The Walpole School Building Committee on May 6 approved a not-to-exceed $40,000 change order to add 84 student lockers across the new middle school and separately approved 20 student desks and chairs, responding to a larger-than-expected incoming sixth-grade class.

Committee members voted unanimously to permit the locker purchase and installation, and separately approved $7,210.50 for 20 student desks and chairs, after district staff said current locker counts would not accommodate next year’s sixth graders.

District staff and project team members said the school was designed around 905 students and 908 lockers but that new enrollments left the sixth grade short. Griffin, the project representative, said, “we have about, I think, 908 lockers in the school.” Carrie, the district staff member who provided enrollment figures, said, “So we are 15 lockers short at sixth grade.” Committee member Catherine Ruggiero moved the locker authorization, saying she would vote to approve a locker PCO “and a not to exceed value of 40,000.” Dr. Goff seconded; the motion carried.

Why it matters: The committee and staff said the change is intended to preserve the school’s team-based model, in which students remain on a single floor and each student needs an assigned locker. Committee members pressed staff on whether the additions would accommodate future growth; staff said enrollment projections were monitored and that the requested lockers and desks were intended to give some room to grow.

Details of the change: Project staff described how the 84 lockers will be added: 36 new lockers on the first floor (by converting single-tier to double-tier units in breakout areas) and 48 added across the second and third floors by installing double-tier banks in breakout corners. Project staff estimated the locker units themselves cost about $25,000–$26,000 and noted a roughly 15-week lead time for manufacture; the $40,000 authorization is intended as a not-to-exceed allowance to capture lockers, electrical/data work and countertop modifications.

The committee separately approved $7,210.50 to purchase 20 student desks and chairs for classrooms; staff said the desks will move with cohorts as enrollment shifts between grades.

Commitments and next steps: Staff said they will release the locker order to meet the lead time and complete required electrical and data work before installation. No further policy changes were adopted; the approvals were limited to the specific procurement and associated field modifications.