New wing for Monument Mountain

GREAT BARRINGTON – Monument Mountain Regional High School (MMRHS) is going ahead with renovation planning.

Instead of completely building a new facility, the Berkshire Hills Regional School District (BHRSD) is looking at adding a science wing to the school’s rear that would create a courtyard with the A and B hallways.

“It’s the least undesirable option,” said School Committee Member Richard Coons.

The MMRHS building project, which has its own website at mmrhsproject.org, would add six science labs and a greenhouse to the school.

Initially the project was proposed at a cost of $55-57 million, but Mr. Coons said the high school building renovations committee has worked with the contractors (Strategic Building Solutions in Agawam) to get the costs down to $52-55 million.

With a projected 51-52 percent contribution from the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA), the cost to the district would come to $27-28 million, according to Mr. Coons.

The district hopes to have a final proposal ready by Sept. 27, the deadline to be included in the MSBA’s November meeting.

On Sept. 11, BHRSD hosted a public information meeting about the renovations where approximately 40 people attended.

“It was a mixed reaction,” said Assistant Business Administrator Steven Soule. “Some were concerned about the cost to the towns; others were very excited we’re doing something new with the building and taking advantage of the state money available.”

Another public presentation on the renovations will be held in October.

Improvement plans presented

At the Sept. 5 meeting of the BHRSD School Committee, comprehensive lists of goals for Muddy Brook Regional Elementary School, Monument Valley Regional Middle School, MMRHS and the district as a whole were presented.

“It’s really impressive,” said School Committee Member Deborah Kain.

“It is a lot, but on an individual level, it’s manageable,” Superintendent Peter W. Dillon said.

Each improvement plan includes goals under the headings of “Learning and Teaching,” “Curriculum and Resources,” “Assessment and Data” and “Connectedness and Community.”

Under the heading of “Assessment and Data,” Superintendent Peter W. Dillon said the district would be “making sense of data and shifting it to closer align with state and national standards.”

“We’re using the data to make decisions about the curriculum,” MMRHS Principal Marianne Young said.

Other business

Due to 41 students enrolled in geometry at MMRHS, the board unanimously approved the hiring of a temporary, part-time (.2) teacher at the request of Principal Young. Dr. Dillon indicated there was money in the budget for this position.

The superintendent also expressed a possible need to hire a per-project communications specialist for the district, specifically to help with the high school building project. Dr. Dillon will bring forward a proposal at an upcoming school committee meeting.

“I think it would be a good use of money,” Ms. Kain said.

Posted by Catherine M. Krummey on September 13, 2012. Filed under Education News,Featured,News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry