West Springfield, MA: The West Springfield Public School (“WSPS”) District has been notified by the Massachusetts School Building Authority (“MSBA”) that its application to build a new elementary school, combining the John Ashley School with the John R. Fausey Elementary School, has been selected to move to the next phase of the application process. Mary L. Pichetti, Executive Director of the MSBA notified Mayor Reichelt of the selection by letter on Friday, December 13.
In March of 2024, WSPS submitted two Statements of Interest to the MSBA to request consideration of both the John Ashley School and John R. Fausey School buildings to participate in the MSBA’s Core Program, which provides state grant funding for school building construction, addition, and/or renovation or repair projects. The Statements of Interest are reviewed by the MBSA and only certain projects are invited to advance to the next phase of the MSBA grant process, which is the Eligibility Period.
The Eligibility Period is a 270 day process which requires the District and the Town to complete preliminary MSBA requirements to determine a community’s readiness to engage in the school construction process. The Town and the District will work with the MSBA through the Eligibility Process and, if successful, will be invited to the next phase of the process which is an invitation to the Feasibility Study phase.
The John Ashley School was built in 1952 and the John R. Fausey School was built in 1960. Both facilities are at capacity and have aging infrastructure that is not ADA-complaint and does not allow for the full range of educational programs that are offered today. The consolidation and rebuilding of the Fausey building would allow for increased student capacity and modern facilities to meet the needs of current educational programming.
“I was thrilled to learn that our project has successfully moved to the next phase of the MSBA’s process,” commented Mayor Reichelt. “This is an exciting milestone for our community, as it brings us one step closer to providing more students with a state of the art learning environment that will serve generations to come. I am committed to working alongside our educators, parents, and other elected officials to make this vision a reality while ensuring it’s an affordable endeavor for the community as a whole.”
Superintendent Stefania Raschilla commented, “It was exciting to receive the notification that our project was selected to move forward by the MSBA. A new school building would significantly enhance the educational experience for our students and staff and provide a safe, modern, and inspiring environment where our students can thrive academically and socially.”
If the WSPS project is selected to advance further in the MSBA process, the reimbursement that the Town receives will be calculated based on socioeconomic factors affecting the community as well as certain incentives such as green initiatives and implementation of best practices for capital maintenance. Previously the District received reimbursement rates of 67.52% for the Coburn Elementary School Project and 62.15% for the High School project.
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CONTACT
Erin Rogers, Executive Assistant to the Superintendent December 18, 2024
[email protected] | (413) 263-3296
