A community tour last week of career and technical education facilities at Martha's Vineyard Regional High School showed leaky windows and ceilings, poor air ventilation and talk of rats.
At a meeting on Thursday night, community members toured the career and technical education facilities at the Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School and sampled treats prepared by the culinary arts students. In between nibbles they confronted leaky windows and ceilings, poor air ventilation and talk of rats.
“I’ve actually been sitting at my desk and seen rats and mice come in this door,” said automotive program director Ken Ward.
Bill Seabourne, the program director for building trades, pointed to leaks and unsealed doors in his area, but also said that he and his students are made of strong stuff.
“There is no heat in here, but that doesn’t bother me,” Mr. Seabourne said. “We’re carpenters.”
Skip Finley in the radio closet.
Skip Finley in the radio closet.
The building trades garage is scheduled to be replaced this summer, but Mr. Seabourne said the space would still have a few issues. The leaks render a strip in the middle of the shop unworkable and have ruined materials. The second floor classroom where students also store finished projects is only accessible by a steep flight of stairs, with no options for people with disabilities.
This was the third meeting in a series to highlight the needs of the high school building. Interim principal Margaret (Peg) Regan applauded the comprehensiveness of the school, in particular its technical and vocational education programs, but added that the facilities are limiting the potential of the program.
“We are not in a place right now where we can adequately prepare our students for the workforce,” she said. “Our ambition is great, but our facilities are poor.”
Mary Vivian, the health assisting program director, needs double the amount of space as well as a bathroom to make the space compliant with state regulations, she said. The room her class occupies is also short on storage and a sanitation sink.
“I love my room but to really get this approved by the state, we need to get this up to code,” she said. The health assisting class is in its second full year.
Barbara-jean Chauvin, director of CTE programs, gives a tour of the maritime sciences room.
Barbara-jean Chauvin, director of CTE programs, gives a tour of the maritime sciences room.
The needs continued to add up. Maritime sciences students cram into an inaccessible and overheated room, and the new radio class broadcasts from a room the size of a broom closet. The walk-in units in the culinary arts kitchen were recaulked five years ago but are leaking again. And in the greenhouses for the horticultural class, a crumbling foundation is filled with foam to keep the pests at bay. The plastic coverings are five to 10 years past their replacement due date and there is no bathroom. It is, however, accessible to students with disabilities.
“It’s totally inefficient, but we patched it up as much as humanely possible,” said program director John Wojtkielo. “You can build a nice structure without being too extravagant.”
Finance manager Mark Friedman said maintenance and repairs are in the high school budget but the amount is not nearly enough to cover the cost of everything that needs attention at the school. School leaders currently have to pick and choose which issues are the most pressing and need to addressed first.
“We have hundreds of thousands [of dollars],” Mr. Friedman said. “We need millions.”
Comments
Mr. Seabourne is my son's
Albert S. EdgartownMr. Seabourne is my son's Favorite teacher. Always a positive guy.
This all sounds very
BD Oak BuffsThis all sounds very expensive. Why has it taken so long to be addressed? Taxes are high here....along with everything else. Maybe the HS needs a donation site like the pages we see when a family is in need. Thousands have been donated. This is OUR school. These are OUR kids. Let's seek solutions.
Tax rates aren't high here.
Tissue Box MVTax rates aren't high here. The state median is $15.69 per 1000 of valuation. OB clocks in at $7.96 per 1000 of valuation. The total dollar amount might seem high but that is because the property values tend to be higher. MA median house price is around $325,000. OB median sales price for January 2016 was about $590,000. The solution is to go to town meeting and vote for a higher tax rate.
Why was this article so hard
Kraig EdgartownWhy was this article so hard to find? I saw it earlier then it disappeared
There certainly has been no
Rex Treadwell EdgartownThere certainly has been no lack of funds lavished on questionable administrators throughout the island school system in recent years.
Unlike Mr. Seabourne, Mr.
Sigh VHUnlike Mr. Seabourne, Mr. Treadwell goes the negative route. Thanks Rex, for bringing up something that is totally unrelated to this article. To most reasonable folks, there's no need to point out that any good business needs both good leaders AND a good facility in order to be successful and that both are worth spending money on.
Interestingly enough,
Rex Treadwell EdgartownInterestingly enough, maintenance oversight is part of an administrator's job description, hence building dilapidation on their watch is evidence of poor management.
Who is in charge of
Huh? EdgartownWho is in charge of maintenance and compliance on the building? How could it be allowed to fall into disrepair? Who was ignoring these needs? How did the school committee not know and rectify these issues and others like the HVAC situation?
That is exactly what I would
AMF EdgartownThat is exactly what I would like to know, who is in charge? This seems to happen to ALL our public buildings, would we let our homes go into disrepair? I don't think so, because we have worked long and hard to have them.
On April 12th, Edgartown has
Betsy Harrington Edgartown, MAOn April 12th, Edgartown has a ballot question asking voters if they want to spend 2.5 million dollars for the expansion of the Edgartown Transfer Station-which has already been deemed unnecessary. While the CHILDREN on the island try to be educated in horrendous, rodent infested, substandard conditions. These kids who some may not be able to leave the island to further their opportunities.
The trash is MORE important then education on this island-well why not they can make money on that!!!!
Don't waste money on things that aren't needed. I hope the newspapers dig into this issue, which just last night was reopened at the MVC because answers to what and WHY haven't been given to the public. Even the airport just found out the extent of this expansion-THIS WEEK!
So trash is more important then your students safety, their education, and public safety; flying into one of the busiest airports in the country during summer weekends (per the FAA) ....And by the way-it's going to cost you more to get rid of your trash!
I attended this very
Richard Toole Oak BluffsI attended this very informative meeting/tour along with a lot of other concerned people. We are so lucky to have a Regional High School with so many different educational offerings. As we all know alternatives are not easy to get to. Each of the program areas on the tour, building trades, culinary arts, agriculture, health care, automotive repair, maritime training, radio broadcasting, sorry if I forgot anything, require very different spaces and equipment. Every space was certainly working but all could be so much better.
One of my big interests of concern is energy efficiency and operating costs. It is a shame we have bidding laws that require us to accept the lowest bid. This has been our problem on so many public works projects, requiring expensive repairs. I would love to see an extensive needs assessment done to come up with a plan that will meet not just the basic needs but one that in the long run will save the taxpayers money on operating costs and be a place we will all be happy and comfortable to be in for a long time. Sure this will cost more up front but aren't our kids's futures which are very closely tied to our futures the most important thing we can invest in? We have many local experts, some trained at the High School, that could help design and implement such a plan and there are funding sources available to help us build more efficiently. Cape Light Compact to name one.
Pardon my ignorance but
gina Menemsha/nycPardon my ignorance but wouldn't even the basic physical plant caretaker/ janitor be observant of mice/rats evidence with in the certain building areas?? A few traps perhaps before the problem escalates ?? Mice/rats are everywhere on MVY so no surprise there.. And I'm positive there is a budget line item for basic daily building maintenance.. Obviously not..
There was an excellent piece
Larry KatamaThere was an excellent piece on this issue last year. Doesn't seem like much has changed. I should say our son also loves mr. Seabourne -- one of the most positive and warm teachers around. Kudos to him.
There is so much waste and
Stunned substitute teacher EdgartownThere is so much waste and abuse in the island school system. I had the sad experience of substitute teaching in the Edgartown elementary school and the high school for one year. If I didn't need the work I would have lasted only one day. Most of the work I was given to do was to be an assistant to a teachers assistant. Both of the teachers were usually present and yet they had me being paid(approx $72/ day)to do the work they should have been doing.
I was never once spoken to by either the principal or vice principal or anyone really except to get my initial instructions for the day by the ladies at the front office. On top of this I was harassed daily by tenured teachers and administrators.
It was a horrible experience and left me feeling very badly for the students who were forced to interact with the teachers, guidance counselor a and administrators I had the unfortunate experience of "working" with in a daily basis
My memory usually serves me
George Stein EdgartownMy memory usually serves me well. Did we not see an incoming principal start his tenure by doing an insightful tour of the same facility not so long ago ? At least the current crew got the press to stop by to see more of the same. Daily issues are not the substance of the tour. Long term structural issues linger or are ignored. Focus on the mice not the building needing repair, ok! Taxes in OB are not going to be the lone asset to resolve problems at any regional facility. Digressing to the waste facility concerns does not solve this problem either. We all have a list of miracles our Island needs. The Edgartown Library helps a lot, get those thinking caps on. I remain stranded with so many jobs listed in the papers the scant offerings of places to live is the top of my list.
Add new comment