The Peabody School Committee received a wide-ranging update Tuesday night on the Peabody Veterans Memorial High School MSBA project, including progress on hiring an owner’s project manager, ongoing site research, and a detailed response to community concerns about special education planning.
Committee member Beverley Ann Griffin Dunne opened the report by noting that the working group overseeing the OPM Request for Services (RFS) “has been diligently working to prepare the language needed for the advertisement that will go in the central register in January, which will allow us to hire the OPM for this project.”
She called the vote earlier in the day a significant milestone, saying committee members “approved putting that to the MSBA.”
She added that the MSBA must approve the RFS before it is posted, a step expected “over the month of December.”
Dunne also highlighted an informational visit to Essex North Shore Agricultural and Technical School, where she, Sam Rippon, and Dave Gammash toured the school’s geothermal system.
She described the visit as “very, very helpful,” noting that Essex Tech staff were “extremely informative” and provided materials on financing and implementation. Students enrolled in HVAC programs “were present when this equipment was installed, when the wells were drilled, and when the piping was laid,” giving them hands-on experience.
While Dunne emphasized that “doesn’t mean we’re gonna do geothermal heating at the high school,” she said exposing the committee to such options is essential to “make sure that we’re exploring every possibility for the energy needs at the high school.”
Dunne addressed a letter from Liz Mover, head of the special education parent group, assuring the committee that her concerns had already been incorporated into the district’s statement of interest.
“These are all things that we have considered and have put into our statement of interest,” she said, adding that many features proposed for a future high school were already implemented at the Welch School, which had been designed with “the intention of making sure that we follow the guidelines for a trauma-informed design.”
Dunne read from previous MSBA planning language, noting ongoing challenges at the current high school. Among the issues, she cited that restrooms “should be located within the sub-separate classrooms,” that special education classrooms “should provide more space than currently allocated,” and that social-emotional support services “need to be improved in the new building.”
She stressed the need for proper workspaces for school psychologists, OT and PT specialists, and counselors, saying “they shouldn’t be working out of closets, and they are.”
Dunne reiterated that the new high school must be fully ADA-compliant, emphasizing, “We know it’s not, and we need to make sure that it is.”
She closed by assuring families that special education planning remains “a priority, and we’re going to make sure that we follow through on this all the way through till the day we cut the ribbons and then afterwards for maintenance.”
The committee also discussed the FY27 budget process, with Dunne urging the district to begin hearing from school councils. “We’re already behind,” she said, requesting a schedule so the committee can review each school’s priorities.
Even without firm budget numbers, Dunne argued the committee needs early input. “I don’t need to hear about the money because I know it’s gonna go back and forth… I would like to hear what each school is looking at.”
Chairman and Mayor Edward Bettencourt noted that all school improvement plans were submitted by October 1 and aligned with district goals. However, they cautioned that fiscal challenges lie ahead.
Bettencourt also told committee members the health insurance premium might increase by 15%, the highest on record, and is expected to exceed that amount this year.
“It’s going to be another difficult budget season,” he said.” If its more than 15% that’s several million dollars in it of it’s self, for the City and the school.”
He called the projection “devastating news.”
Despite the grim outlook, Dunne said, “it is a reality.”
She added, “There’s probably going to be more coming down the pike with the loss of funding because of the changes at the federal level with many of the Departments that are being annihilated.”
