Many graduates see Concord Middle School as a place of the awkward years, and their middle school time is not one they long to relive. However, when talking about the building itself, quite a fierce argument is in place. A new middle school was approved last year; however, the new middle school has gone over budget, and a special town election on February 16th of this year is looking to raise the budget.
Asking different CCHS students what they thought of the new middle school, various opinions came up, ranging from the offended, “This is a joke,” to the jealous, “How come I didn’t get that?” and, of course, the uninterested, “It’s a school.” I repeatedly heard horrified “What is that’s,” and the most common response by far was, “It’s way too fancy.”
“[The building committee] [knows] there is crazy inflation, but then they have to add some nature area—it’s weird.”
Amongst the voting population, the opinion on the middle school is much more favorable, with a wide majority voting in favor of the budget increase to be put on the ballot at the special town meeting on January 20th. One of these supporters is Wilson Kerr. He has been asked to write the pro-middle school statement and fiercely supports the new middle school. He says that if a no-vote passes, taxpayers will have to pay more over time for less of a school. Kerr says, “when the high school was built, many items were cut out of the project… Nearly a decade later, the town is still working through these issues, and they have undoubtedly cost a lot more than it would have cost to include them when the high school was constructed.”
Kerr says that a new middle school wouldn’t only benefit current and future students but members of the community as well. Since the gym and auditorium will be very spacious, “a wide variety of community use benefits are enabled.” The new middle school is also planned to have a net zero carbon impact, which will help our environment.
A popular idea amongst students is to expand or redo some of the existing building. One student told me that they “only experienced a few critical issues with the building, which could be more cheaply fixed.” However, fans of the new middle school argue that upkeeping the current schools would cost more than building a new one, with maintenance costing 40-60 million dollars for ten years of operation.
Another popular concern is about the roof. The roof at the 8-year-old high school building leaks, so who’s to say this new middle school won’t suffer the leakage? Kerr says that the new school will have a state-of-the-art drainage system, but some students I talked to weren’t satisfied: “How do you drain a flat roof?” a few asked. We will have to hope that this new drainage system works.
“One big problem with our high school is that our hallways get clogged easily; this looks worse.”
Many students also hope the new middle school gets built, saying, “students will gain a lot of beneficial enrichment.” Other students want a new middle school but think this current design isn’t good, “It could be less fancy” was a common complaint. They would like the building to have fewer extra features and to have a more controlled size. Other students were concerned about the all-glass design or think since past middle school students have survived with less, why do new students need more? The pro-middle school website, voteyesmiddleschool.com, says this middle school is well-priced, costing only $606 per square foot. However, naysayers point out that, adjusted for inflation, the high school project only cost about $500 per square foot, and they wonder where the extra money is going. They wonder if the project is worth it with so many perceived design flaws.
Whatever you think about the new middle school, vote. Registered voters can vote on February 16th at their polling location. If you aren’t registered, be sure to get your voice heard by taking action. Information on how to vote is here: https://concordma.gov/375/Elections-Voting
