The School Building Committee has approved a plan, “Bloom” for the new high school and building on the current playing fields in the Center. Do you support this decision? If not, what would you propose as an alternative?

The School Building Committee (SBC) has considered and evaluated 19 alternatives ranging from addition-renovation, to new building phased-in-place, to new building on adjacent locations. They selected the Bloom model because it best met the Lexington Public Schools education program and community needs while mitigating challenges such as impact on current students, impact on the fields, and more. It also costs substantially less than the phased-in-place plans. Of all the new build on adjacent location plans, Bloom would have the least impact on the current playing fields. In fact, the Recreation Department recently learned that an additional three fields will not be impacted at all and will remain open for use throughout the entire project.

I feel confident in the SBC’s assessment from having watched the majority of SBC meetings over the past 2 years, attended several of the community fora, and asked questions in Town Meeting regarding the “build a rectangle” proposal debated and voted down last fall. At the end of the day, the current LHS building is not equipped for our students due to failing HVAC and roof, overcrowding, lack of ADA compliance, unsecure doors throughout its many buildings, and more. Current conditions for my 9th grade child include: lunch at 10:30am, no locker (this is the standard), difficulty making it through densely packed hallways and across campus to arrive at classes on time, and intermittent classroom heat. All are impediments to learning.

High quality public education is vital to the future of Lexington. I support moving forward with the plan chosen after diligent and complete work of our SBC members, which will enable us to receive approximately $100 million in MSBA grant money. I serve as treasurer for the Yes for Lexington campaign which advocates for passage of the debt exclusion vote later this year.