BELMONT, Mass.—On Friday, March 4, construction and development firm, Skanska, together with the Belmont Middle and High School Building Committee (BMHSBC), the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA), and student representatives from Belmont Middle and High School, celebrated the topping out for Belmont Middle School. The design firm for the project is Perkins+Will.

Once completed in September, 2023, the brand-new Middle School will be an approximately 170,000-square-foot school building featuring dedicated classroom, recreation and administrative space. The Belmont Middle and High School buildings will share major facilities located in the High School, including the kitchen and café, auditorium, pool and Field House. The construction milestone marks a significant step forward in the progress for phase two, and the overall completion, of the transformative school project.

“At Skanska we pride ourselves on building what matters, and it’s especially rewarding to be celebrating this exciting milestone in person with the students and school representatives who will soon be learning and teaching out of the new buildings,” said Bryan Northrop, Executive Vice President of Skanska USA Building in Boston. “We look forward to delivering Belmont Middle School and completing the full school project so that future generations of Belmont students have a first-class environment in which they can receive an education and be inspired.”

Belmont school officials, students and local community members in attendance on Friday heard a short speaking program featuring Belmont High School Principal, Isaac Taylor; School Committee Chair Amy Checkoway; MSBA Chief Operating Officer, James MacDonald; Belmont Grades 7 & 8 Principal, Karla Koza; and Skanska Building Superintendent, Manny Hoyo. Attendees also enjoyed a performance of the National Anthem by the Belmont High School Marching Band before signing the symbolic final beam for the Middle School, representing the last structural component of the entire Belmont Middle and High School project. The in-person celebration was a welcome change from the virtual event that took place nearly two years ago when the High School building topped out in May 2020 during phase one of construction.

“Watching the final beam being raised over the Middle School signifying such an important milestone means so much to our students, school staff and the entire Belmont community,” said Bill Lovallo, Chair of the Belmont Middle and High School Building Committee. “We are thrilled to be one step closer to enjoying our beautiful new school building which will serve as a cornerstone for the community for many years to come.”

Phase one of construction at Belmont Middle and High School centered on the delivery of Belmont High School, a four-floor, 451,000-square-foot building for grades 7-12 which Skanska renovated and expanded to include new academic and science wings, media and dining areas, administrative health suites, and updates to the existing gymnasium and pool. The High School building was completed in September 2021 in time for the new school year.

The post Massachusetts Middle School Project Hits Midway Point appeared first on School Construction News.

When completed in 2021, the new 85,200-square-foot, PK-5 school will be home to a 21st century learning environment that meets the educational vision of this high-performing school district while also respecting the character and values of the Town. The new school will include:

• 25 core classrooms for Grades PK-5 with flexible learning spaces that accommodate large group, small group and individual learning needs;
• An Innovation Lab to facilitate Science Technology Engineering and Math (STEM) learning;
• Cafeteria, Media Center and gymnasium designed to create a strong sense of community;
• District offices for the Superintendent and other administrative support staff;
• And site improvements that include playgrounds and playing fields, improved bus and vehicle circulation and parking, and storm water mitigation measures.

The new building design represents a two-year process of working with administrators, faculty and staff, and community members to define the educational program and design the building to suit the District’s high-performing approach to learning.

“From the onset of this project, it has been clear to us what a wonderful community Harvard is, and the town’s impressive commitment to education and creating a sense of place,” said Larry Spang, Principal at Arrowstreet, who leads the firm’s schools practice. “Inspired by Harvard, we designed the new school with three core goals: create educational spaces to support the today’s learning styles in support of the community’s commitment to education; design the building to enhance the existing context of historic Harvard; and create a sense of community. We look forward to two years from now when students and teachers open the doors to the school that they envisioned.”

“Today is big day for the town of Harvard. A lot of hard work and dedication to providing high quality education went into making our vision for this school a reality. We owe thanks to the generosity of the many volunteers and the taxpayers who made this project possible. The new school will add value to our community and help prepare the next generation in a beautiful, engaging and sustainable building,” said the School Building Committee Chair SusanMary Redinger.

Arrowstreet is a Boston-based architecture, planning, graphic design and interior design firm. Six principals collaborate with a talented team of designers who see projects from diverse perspectives resulting in designs that have significant impact.

The post Innnovative Elementary School Breaks Ground in Harvard appeared first on School Construction News.

Senate Bill 2, sponsored by Senate Education Committee Chairman Senator Dan Patrick, R-Houston, will boost the Texas charter school cap from its current 215 to 305 schools by fall 2019. Patrick had initially campaigned to eliminate the charter school cap entirely but later opted for a gradual increase of about 15 charters per year. The Senate approved the bill in a 28-3 vote, and was approved by the House with a 105-41 vote.

While proponents laud the bill’s strengthening support and increased flexibility, some organizations are concerned with the lax language of the bill.

"SB 2 is a critical and needed update to the Texas charter law and will allow effective charters to grow and serve more students,” said David Dunn, executive director of the Texas Charter Schools Association, in a statement.

The cap had been in place for years due to the amount of charter schools in the state that had performed below expectations or have incurred financial difficulties. But the new bill allows the Texas Education Agency (TEA) to take on a renewed authority in order for the department to regulate low-performing charters and streamline granting new charters.

"We believe this is the most significant strengthening of the charter law since 1995," Dunn said. "The lifting of the cap and streamlined renewal and replication will continue to allow public charters to grow to meet the demand, and to improve the education of students in Texas.”

Under the proposed law, the TEA will also be required to provide an annual performance report of the authorized charter schools and close schools that have a three consecutive years of low performance.

Organizations such as the Association of Texas Professional Educators, Texas Classroom Teachers Association, Texas State Teachers Association and the Texas American Federation of Teachers have spoken out against the bill.

Among their concerns include the provision that would allow school boards to convert traditional campuses into charter schools. This change would eliminate state protections such as teacher contracts, legal rights, certification requirements, class-size caps and minimum salaries, according to the Texas Classroom Teachers Association.
Statewide, Texas currently hosts more than 445 charter schools with more than 135,000 students. Waiting lists for open enrollment charter schools jumped from about 56,000 in 2011 to more than 101,000 in 2013, according to the Texas Public Policy Foundation.

“There is no one answer to transforming schools, but lifting the cap to add high quality public charters will give Texas parents, including the nearly 100,000 currently on a charter school waiting list, more choices to find the best education for their child,” Patrick said in a statement.

The post Charter School Cap Lifted in Texas appeared first on School Construction News.