Dr Spencer Mullin meets with Board of Selectmen

“And I guess that’s why I’m here is to make my plea to work together jointly with you and not make you think that I’m here to overextend the town fathers, because I’m not. I’m just advocating for the kids,” — Dr Spencer Mullin

Dr Spencer Mullin was invited as a guest to speak with the Board of Selectmen prior to their August meeting on the 12th. This part of the meeting was not broadcast, but I did have my handy-dandy audio recorder with me so that we could review it afterwards.

Of course the first issue of discussion became the feasibility study for a new or renovated high school.

Mullin took the opportunity to make a lenghly statement of his opinion. Some interesting points he made:

First, he said that the Dracut High School was rated as one of the 62 worst schools in the state (as rated by the MSBA investigation team).

They took a look at our buildings, and they rated quite unfortunately, Dracut was one of 62 communities in the commonwealth that was identified as having one of the worst buildings in the Commonwealth.
This is something we should not be proud of, I feel very strongly that this is something we need to deal with, 1. in 62, out of all of the schools in the commonwealth, That’s a very strong statement that we are in need of doing something to that high school.

I have to say I don’t remember that statement coming out of that review.. but I will try to find it.

He then discusses the cost of the study.

They will be patient. They will allow communities time such as going to town meeting in November, to get our act together, and deciding as a community whether we will support renovating or even considering the feasibility of what needs to be done to that high school.

It willl cost the community, roughly, just over $400,000.00. There was a number of $1.25 million dollars that we were hearing over and over again. What it boils down to is the state will reimburse us, the community, within fifteen days, all of the money above $400.000.00. They just want to borrow your money for fifteen days.

That’s it, it will only cost you a little over $400,000.00 to commit to that feasabilty study.

There is nothing new here, we all understood these numbers.. but many in the town may not so it is good to review them again.

He then discusses the upcoming high school accredidation.

Secondly, piggybacked on that, you have a high school which is facing a NEASC reaccredidation, and as you know this is a process that is very cumbersome. They are coming in in a year. We have one year to prepare, and then the self-study begins.

From my experience in the past, many schools have lost accredidation in the past, been put on warning, or some other designation by NEASC, because of a facilities issue. If the town does not support either a renovation, or even a feasibility study, this is a signal that the community is not supporting education, and its taken very seriously.

I don’t think it is right to imply that the people’s possible decision not to pay for a study would be a lack of “commitment to education.” It could just be that we don’t have the necessary money right now (that darn Town Hall issue is still floating around).

He does come up with his proposal though:

So I propose to you that I hope we can work together, the school department and the community to possibly consider a renovation. And possibly consider a reasonable renovation that would meet the needs of the students, the educational programs that have to be housed there. We’re bursting at the seams.

A renovation is probably going to be what is best for the town at this point.

I’m glad to see that Dr Mullin is thinking reasonably.. and conservatively. He knows that we are not a rich town, and we have other priorities as well.

I agree with im wholeheartedly on the GLTECH school issue.

One of the things I’m finding. I’m not sure if you’re following the problems they’re having iwth the MCAS and their scores, but I’m finding that a lot of kids.. When I was a principal at the Englesby (it was the Junior High) there were a group of kids who with their skills and talents they really should have gone to the voke school.

Because the Voke school is held to the same high standards as any other publicly funded high school, they are very selective about who they will accept at the Voke school.So they’re looking for good kids with no discipline and good grades.

Those who don’t make the cut, they come over to Dracut High School. They don’t have strong academic backgrounds. We have the Junior High School which is restructuring right now.

I have a 9th and 10th grade where I have two years to prepare these kids to pass MCAS. They don’t pass MCAS, they don’t get a diploma.

What was once a regional school meant to teach skills to those who had trouble with academic paths, has become a publicly funded private school (my words, not his). Their selection criteria seems designed to filter out most of the kids who need that school the most, and instead those kids land in a school that is not designed to fulfill thier needs of success. Mullin is right about this, but It’ll take some state level discussion to make changes there.

In summarizing his visit, Mullin said:

There are many, many challenges the school department faces. I think working together we can certainly come up with some creative solutions.

And I guess that’s why I’m here is to make my plea to work together jointly with you and not make you think that I’m here to overextend the town fathers, because I’m not. I’m just advocating for the kids, and hopefully making your realize.. I invite you to come to the high school .. its in tough shape, and it needs upgrading desperately.

I would recommend a renovation, and hopefully we could find a way to hopefully piggyback with another, maybe with the town hall.. But I’m willing to work with the Board of Selectmen to maybe find a creative solution so it doesn’t have to be one or the other, or one at the expense of the other.