Transcript of Meeting between Sup Mullin and Board of Selectmen

Before the Board of Selectmen meeting on August 12th, Superintendent Spencer Mullin was invited as a guest to meet with the Board of Selectmen.

The discussion quickly became on about the high school feasibility study, the community’s “commitment to education,” and finally an offer to solve the Pop Warner football field needs.

Bob Cox (BC): I think this is something that John and you had discussed

Dr Spencer Mullin (SM): Yes

BC: I think the board thought it was a good idea if there is anything that, my own opinion (I can only speak for myself) more of a gesture of .. if there is anything from this board or myself can help you with, please feel free to ask, I know you’re accountable to the school committee, but on the town side, andything I can do personally ….
are there any issues that any other board member want to bring up?

George Malliaros (GM): I have one. We’ve talked about recommending or not recommending to the town meeting a feasability study

SM: I was afraid someone would bring that up..

[some discussion about the feasibility study committee here, not really germaine to the discussion, check the audio if you want to hear it.. SA]

John Zimini (JZ): Would you be interested in serving on that committee?

SM: Absolutely.. I have some definite opnions on the matter

BC: Is it something we can get into now.

SM: Yes, its something I can go over in about 3 mnutes

As we all know, the MSBA was created to actively dole out funds to school buildings in need of repair.
And 2 or 3 years ago, when I was in Woburn, a team went from bulding to building and the made recommendations.

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,

Thats a very strong statement that we are in need of doing something to that high school.

I’m very concerned with the way the presentation went that night. (I was there, as well).

I do understand the process, In Woburn we did the same thing. My Superintendent brought me along step by step so I know where Dracut is in the prucess.

We’re in the process right now, where the MSBA is looking for a financial commitment by the community.

And that’s all they want, they want a financial commitment, that you are going to be behind this renovation on the building.

My own feeling is I don’t know where the money figures came from.. almost 85 million dollars for a new high school? or fifty something for a renovation.. I don’t know where that came from. But I can tell you, that unless the community makes a financial commitment we go back down to the bottom of the list.

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 feasibilty study.

That will tell you whether that high school is capable of being renovated or it we should start from scratch. We don’t know until the study is done.

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.

Ten years ago when NEASC came in, we had just finished the renovation of the science wing, and we were still put on warning.

So I am facing not only the great challenge of educating the commuinty as to the need to know where we stand with this high school, but we’re also facing the possibility of not being reacredited as a high school.

That is going to have a major impact on students Especially when we are competing for those highly prized college seats. One from an accredited high school where the community supports education, or another where a commuinty is not fully supporting education by upgrading their facility.

My challenge as the new superintendent is going to be.. it depends on how the community reacts.. I really don’t think, knowing this is my hometown, I honestly don’t think there’s much shot of an $85 million dollar high school in Dracut. I know there’s a need for a new town hall,

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.

As it is now, we have over 1200 students there.

Something has to be done. And if we don’t go forward with the feasibility study, quite simply, in two years I have to find a way and the money to turn Dracut High into the Taj Mahal. Thats to convince the NEASC accredidation committee that our facility is modern and it will support the educational programs of kids who are competing for college seats in the 21st century.

So, its a big undertaking and it could go a lot of different ways.

I know the community has done a great job with the library here, its beautiful, the new fire stations… you know the Dracut when George and I grew up .. its different. We’re a big town now. We have a bigger population and we have bigger needs.

My proposal is not that we go hog wild, my proposal is something conservative, but something that will meet our needs so our high school remains accredited, and we provide the education for our kids that they deserve.

And so George I’m fine that you asked me about the feasibility study.

GM: Personally I think while these are hard times, if we don’t do something now our property values in this town will plummet.

SM: I agree

GM: And all our kids are going to suffer because the best and brightest will find the means to education themselves privately, and that’s something I feel very strongly about. It shouldn’t happen. I am not a proponent of private education. In the elementary level, in the hgh school level, its a disservice to children,. because they don’t grow up the way that we grew up.

SM : right

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.

And its just heartbreaking to see.. I taught Senior English, as I was telling John earlier. You’re sitting with a mother and father and their child a week or two before graduation and they’re crying because their child cannot pass Senior English and they’re not graduating.

So, its much more complicated than it was years ago. We have to prepare them for MCAS while they’re getting a diploma.

If we have a high school that is not accredited, then they’re going to be losing seats to the more competitive colleges.

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.

But I’m definetly here to advocate for the kids to upgrade the high school and push for that feasibilty study.

BC: I think you should be on that committee, it would be a good position for you to be in so that those sentiments can be aired to those people.

I appreciate your candor and

SM: You’ll get the straight story

BC: Yeah, but unfortunately you’re going to get it from us too, and I didn’t mean that disrespectfully at all. We’re up against the same thing you’re up against with a court order that we have to get Town Hall done. We’re beating our heads against the wall trying to figure out how we’re going to get that done.

So as much as I agree with you 100%, you’re right in that creativity is going to come big into play.. and some good thinking

SM: Yes, your right

BC: I don’t want to rush this along, but I’m going to offer it to the board if there are any other issues. I know Mr O’Loughlin mentioned one..

Jim O’Loughlin (JO): I have one Mr Chairman, thats not quite as pressing as that. However, it is important as it is that time of year.

Last year, we had a little bit of an issue take place over at Veteran’s Park with Pop Warner football and the use of lights (some viewed it as an inconvenience to some of the neighbors.. the park was developed saying that that would not occur). and we had made an agreement with Superintendent Espindle and Mr Graham that Pop Warner could use the practice field at the high school.

I think it worked well, eveyrone was happy with it, at least I didn’t hear anyone was not pleased with it.

I’ld just like to know if that could continue this year? And I’ld rather find that out sooner than later.

SM: I have an answer for you right now.

I met with the athletic director. I met with Mr Graham. I do understand the need to maintain facilities, but I also made them aware of the fact that our families and thier children are feeding, these are feeder programs into our athletic programs, and if I have to choose between families and kids .. and grass, I’m going to choose the families and kids. I told them that I expect for that to happen and I fully expect Pop Warner to welcome on that property.

JO: Great, great. Good answer

JZ: Mr Chairman I just have one thing to say.

I jsut want to thank the Superintendent for being here this evening. I think your statement indicates a welcomed spirit of cooperation and partnership with the town and I think thats important to get both of our interests to go forward.

The chair had mentioned the town hall, that weighs very heavy on us.

SM: And I understand that.

JZ: Myself as a board member, and I’m sure the others feel this way, but I as one it weighs heavily on my mind as we have to get this particular decree taken care of.

And there are some inovative things we can discuss in the future, that would help both sides, and your statement certainly shows..

SM: I’m certainly open to all sorts of suggestions. I think that’s the only way. That’s why I talked with John because I wanted to indicate that the School Department must for a partnership. You know, we all share one pie, and I just wanted to let you all know that as the representative of the schools that I’m here not to take the whole pie, but to work with you so that we can still come up with solutions together.

I don’t want it to become an adversarial relationship. I really want to work in conjunction with you for the betterment of the town because what’s good for the school system, as George says.. years ago people moved into Dracut because the school system is strong. So that’s what I intend to do is make it a very strong school system, and as conservatively as possible.

JZ: thank you Mr Chairman

JD: The feasiblity study that you mentioned.. I thought that the way it was proposed was that if you did it (the study) you were committed at that point..

SM: You’re only committed to the feasibility study, and that’s what they’re asking you to pay for is the study. And once the study is completed the decision is made. You cannot make a decision without knowing where you are. They’re looking to the community to make that commitment.

They didn’t want to have the responsibility of paying for the feasibility study, shelling out $400,000.00 and then the community saying, “Sorry, we’re not interested.”

JD: Yeah.. but..

SM: Its the communities commitment

JD: I guess that’s my point. We”re going to spend 400 plus thousand .. I just don’t see any override or debt exclusion happening any time soon.

SM: It scares the heck out of me too.

I will tell you that I will be waging a very agressive campaign with parents to make them aware of the situation, because it will no longer just affect the kids at the Senior High School, but all of thse kids who are coming up. Getting put back at the end of the list.. its going to take longer and longer.

Right now, we will get somewhere in the area of 67% reimbursement on accreditation. There’s a whole different set of formula’s I can show you… if you do this, you get this percentage and that ..

Personally, I think that we can probably do something doable …

JD: I don’t know how, you’re going to have to be really creative because we saw what happened at town meeting and I don’t see an override or anything passing right now.

SM: But if your remember a number of years ago when they were going to do a big renovation of Dracut High, they were going to get a 90% reimbursement from the state. The town passed on it because it was such a grandiose plan.

We came back a second time when that didn’t pass and it finally did pass as we got the renovation, but it was down to 70% by that time by the state.

Now we’re down into the sixties and maybe high fifties .. the state is giving us less and less and less, and I just hate to lose the opportunity to maximize what they are giving us.

JD: Yeah, what I’m saying is I just don’t know if its a sell. If you do a feasibility study, you know as well as I do, that the price for one thing.. if it sets for a couple years.. goes up a huge percentage.

SM: Talk to Newton.

BC: Dr Mulling, thank you. Its refereshing to hear your air of cooperation, its something that was lacking (no disrespect intended) between the town aide and school department over the years.

SM: Thank you for having me. Its been a pleasure to be here.