At next week’s Town Meeting, the school committee is expected to seek an $8.6 million debt exclusion override to fund roof repairs and HVAC equipment at Marblehead High School. This work is necessary to fix significant leaks in the high school roof that have been worsening over the past five years. It is important that this project be done properly and not delayed any further.
However, after a separate $5 million override in 2022 to fund roof repairs at the high school, voters have legitimate questions about why additional funding is necessary and why this critical project has been delayed. Mistakes were made here and rather than providing answers and accountability, school committee members have responded with finger pointing and obfuscation.
It is unreasonable to expect perfection from our leaders. Good governance means owning mistakes and being accountable. School committees have oversight responsibilities, not operational authority. They help set district priorities and ensure that administrators focus their time and energies on those priorities.
After funds were appropriated for the repairs in 2022, the school committee’s facilities subcommittee took charge of the project. Sarah Fox and Alison Taylor represented the school committee on the facilities subcommittee from 2022 to 2024, during which time no progress was made on starting the project. At this juncture, it’s irrelevant whether the two year delay was the result of lax subcommittee oversight or administrative inattention.
As a school committee member committed to good governance, I would:
Step up and take responsibility for two years of delays in the project, not point fingers.
Provide the public with clear information on the exact costs of the project, explicitly outlining what the funds appropriated in 2022 will cover and what the additional funds being requested this spring are needed for.
Convene a building oversight committee and implement a plan to ensure adequate oversight and timely completion of this essential project.
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