<p>Students at the Tisbury School will be relocated indefinitely and the start of school will be delayed, following confirmation that chipping lead paint inside the aging building poses a potential health hazard.</p>
Students at the Tisbury School will be relocated indefinitely and the start of school will be delayed, following confirmation this week that chipping lead paint inside the aging building poses a potential health hazard and must be repaired.
School administrators announced the plan to relocate students and delay the start of school at a meeting Wednesday afternoon.
Parents and teachers crowded meeting at the emergency services building.
Parents and teachers crowded meeting at the emergency services building.
Still missing some details, the hastily sketched plan calls for students in grades K through four to attend school at the Camp Jabberwocky campus in Vineyard Haven beginning on Tuesday, Sept. 9, a week after regular classes begin in all other public schools. Students in grades five through eight will be relocated to the regional high school, with the same later start date.
The decision follows a round of testing for lead and asbestos, as recommended by the state Department of Public Health during this summer following air quality testing that was done at the request of the teachers’ union and school superintendent.
Testing for asbestos was conducted last week. Testing for lead concluded on Tuesday. The school dates to 1929, and both lead and asbestos were known to be present in the building, but testing confirmed that lead paint was chipping and could cause risk of exposure. No asbestos issues were found.
School committee chairman Amy Houghton said school leaders are acting out of an “abundance of caution.”
“We listened to community and the community is concerned,” she said after the meeting. “Is the lead chipping and dangerous in all the rooms? No. Are there a couple of spots we’re concerned about? Yes.”
Ms. Houghton said the area will be thoroughly remediated, including in places where there is no visible chipping lead paint.
School principal John Custer said he will set up his office on one temporary campus, while assistant principal Melissa Ogden will be at the other location.
There are just under 300 students in the Tisbury School (the last school census reported 297 students).
On Wednesday school committee members and administrators shared the news with a packed room of parents and teachers at the town emergency services facility across the street from the school. Selectman Melinda Loberg, facilities manager Kirk Metell and town administrator John (Jay) Grande also attended.
With the decision still fresh, many aspects of the plan had yet to be sketched out. Details about the remediation work, including time frame, cost and source of funding, were not immediately available. But school leaders said because the work is an emergency, it will not be required to go out to bid.
Faced with the reality that their children will be displaced, parents were subdued. There were many questions about the logistics of sending the students to a new, unfamiliar environment. Parents asked about the school nurse, scheduling of classes, recess areas and busing.
In a letter that went out by email to parents after the meeting, superintendent of schools Matthew D’Andrea provided more details, including from the results of the testing.
“Specialists had access to the entire school building to conduct testing where they drew 50 to 60 samples to determine the presence of asbestos and lead paint and condition of these materials,” the superintendent wrote in part.
He continued:
“The results of the testing have shown that asbestos that is present in the Tisbury School building is intact and is not a health concern. The lead paint in some areas of the building is peeling, however, and therefore in a condition that requires remediation.”
The letter went on to detail the arrangements for students, reassuring parents that all students would continue to have access to a school nurse and lunch service.
“This decision has come after much discussion and contemplation, and I recognize the impact this will have on our children and families,” Mr. D’Andrea wrote.
“The health and wellness of our students at the Tisbury School is a priority.”
High school principal Sara Dingledy also sent out an email to parents notifying them that the school would be hosting Tisbury students “for a yet-to-be-determined amount of time,” and welcoming the students.
“We are grateful to be in a position to host and help,” she said.
The ailing school facility has been a growing conundrum for the town, which qualified for significant state funding for a new $46 million school two years ago, but was forced to abandon the project after it failed to muster enough support from voters. Renovation planning has since started over, but a new school is still far from reality.
At the meeting Wednesday, parent Siobhan Mullin said she was distraught.
“I’m really angry, not with you guys, but that we let this happen in our town,” she told school leaders. “I really feel we need to be asking the town for as many resources as we need right now to make sure there isn’t an absence of one thing for our kids,” she said.
Comments
Parents will move with their
New Millennial MVParents will move with their kids to Edgartown and Oak Bluffs. Costs about the same. There go those budgets in the neighboring towns. Ouch! Vineyard Haven will see their budget drop like a rock once those school costs evaporate. Which will lead to more seasonal residents. Smart move by Tisbury being first out of the gate. This won’t get fixed until half the kids are out of the school system and then a new school will cost much less.
I’m not really sure what you
Bob costas ChilmarkI’m not really sure what you are trying to say here. You think the horrific school will lead people to move to other towns therefore putting less children in the Tisbury school system? Which in turn means they can build a smaller school for less money?
Nice way to show everyone you know nothing of how buildings work, or how towns work, or real estate, or anything else for that matter. Most people don’t have the ability to just up and move because they like something better. With the way housing is, renters don’t choose what town they get to live in.
Maybe when you move into reality, come back and comment again.
Thank you Bob Costas for your
New Millenial MVThank you Bob Costas for your very informed up-island comment. I have a down island life and down island view of this. This was good cynical work by Tisbury to make it unattractive to move your family to that town, and very attractive to move the family out: Net Result is admittedly not as dire or financially beneficial as a half priced school. I was being a tad dramatic but my point was sound. On the margins families with kids won’t move there and those families that can will leave. HUGE SAVINGS for taxpayers. It was clever, contrived, and just about typical these days. Frowny Face emoji.
Wow it’s almost like this
Dave Smith Vineyard HavenWow it’s almost like this could have been avoided by building a new school.
Or for far less money
WashAbhorred EdgartownOr for far less money maintaining the old one. Chipping lead paint means no one has bothered to paint parts of that building since the 70s or at the latest the 80s. So, let's see build a new school...then do no maintenance and watch it fall apart too.
Buildings require qualified individuals to be in charge of maintenance with realistic maintenance budgets. If you don't keep a building up...it will fall down.
Sorry so many voted 'no' 2
Tisbury resident who voted 'yes'.Sorry so many voted 'no' 2 years ago.
Why did it take all summer to
Eileen Maley West TisburyWhy did it take all summer to get this far?
That school was a mess when I
T Bone OBThat school was a mess when I went there years ago. A sad state of affairs and yet another black eye for my old hometown. I’m fortunate my kids are in OB. And — why would new teachers want to take a job in that system? It will get worse before it gets better.
Why would new teachers want
Nelson Sigelman Vineyard HavenWhy would new teachers want to take a job in that system? Having been a substitute teacher and observed what goes on closely in the school I think that the teachers, staff and leadership are talented and dedicated and rise to the challenge of delivering a top notch education in a failing building every day. A new teacher could do far worse for examples.
My question is where will those new teachers live. Time to be bold and innovative.
Build a new school and repurpose the existing site. It could accommodate a new town hall, now spread across two locations. Move the police station out of the congested Stop and Shop parking lot and put it across from the public safety building, a natural choice. And create an apartment complex for year-round Island workers who earn too much to qualify for housing programs.
I moved 3 years ago from VH
Jimmy L Martha’s VineyardI moved 3 years ago from VH to Edgartown. Edgartown has the vision and leadership to pull off something like you describe. VH? No vision, no leadership - no way that town could pull a fraction of your ideas.
Why not use ALL of the funds
Bob Colonial Vinyard HavenWhy not use ALL of the funds collected from the short term rental tax to fund the new school ? Takes care of VH students and keeps property owners taxes in check.
Because that’s taxation
Mark EdgartownBecause that’s taxation without representation. Abusing the golden goose will end poorly.
How much are Tisbury
Schools Out VHHow much are Tisbury taxpayers paying Camp Jabberwocky and MVRHS to impose on their facilities? This town needs leadership, and we don't have it. Very frustrating state of affairs.
UH, built in 29 when lead
Mike WTUH, built in 29 when lead paint was used extensively.This had to have been known.Multiple tests have been conducted over the years, and this was just discovered. Seriously shameful. And if it was known prior to this why wasn't it dealt with then.Seems like a very long shell game to get back to the insane $46M new school for 300 students.$46M/30yrs=$1,5333 per year with $0 interest/300 students=$5,111 per student per year over the amortized life of the loan. Double that for interest and loan servicing costs.$10k per student per year for 30 years. Whos doing the math around here.Brace yourselves summer residents, your taxes are going way up for something you don't use.Regionalize the school system, then everyone can pay their fair percentage based on the number of students from each town, with no discounts for year round residents for the school tax. Dysfunctional idiocy at its best.
Why would any other island
Jimmy EdgartownWhy would any other island town want to regionalize with VH? It’s cheap and doesn’t pull its own weight.
That is not true and fear
Bjordal Vineyard HavenThat is not true and fear mongering. The cost was calculated at 500.00 per 500,000. Poor summer residents?? You are kidding me.
Why is it such a surprise to
Douglas Korves AIA Always in IslandWhy is it such a surprise to the school board that peeling paint in a 1929 school means that all old paint contains lead.
Someone on that Board bought or sold a house in the last 20 years and signed or received a lead paint and asbestos disclosure form.
Similarly, water quality should be tested. Let’s do this now while the school is closed.
Additionally, an island needs to protect and invest in its resources and infrastructure. Our children, as well educated in healthy and up to date facilities are that resource and infrastructure of the future.
Give more consideration to school referendums as that crucial investment and protection of everything vital to the MV community.
Why, on an Island with over
Peter Palches Oak BluffsWhy, on an Island with over thirty billion dollars in property tax and under 2500 public school students, should something like this happen? Who is responsible? Tisbury elected official? Tisbury voters? School administrators?
All Islanders are responsible. We are all in this together. There is nothing we do more important than education. But we whisper to each other that we dare not say the R word.
Meanwhile we burden the towns least able to pay with the biggest school bills, provide costly and confusing organizational structures, and support tax havens for the rich.
Yes, this is a sad story. But unless we make serious changes, more sad stories will follow.
Seems like the buck should
Susan Desmarais Oak BluffsSeems like the buck should stop at the desks of the superintendent and assistant superintendent.
There are plenty of other
WashAbhorred EdgartownThere are plenty of other examples of maintenance not being performed on MV school buildings by both this super and the one before him. Look at the problems in the high school (leaks, non-hooked up A/C chillers, etc), OB, etc. Even the athletic fields had basically no one in charge of maintenance. The answer? Build new...and then watch them fall apart.
I shouldn't pick on just the schools though....look at the other buildings, jail, courthouse, the list goes on. We just don't do maintenance on MV.
So many questions. Why did
Class of '74 Vineyard Haven, MA.So many questions. Why did this come down to the final two weeks of summer? Common sense tells us that this old school would test positive for lead paint. Why weren't these tests done sooner, perhaps even years ago? Why weren't these tests, at the very least, done prior to the vote on the new school? Why has the needed maintenance on this building been ignored for years? Why did the town wait for state mandated testing before doing this? Who dropped the ball on the kids of Tisbury School? This is a terrible situation for the town to be in. Will anyone in town accept responsibility for the mess we are in?
In 1978 lead paint was banned
Christine VHIn 1978 lead paint was banned in Massachusetts. How is it that we are now looking into this? I believe its time to put ALL the town governments under the microscope and figure out where and how all the tax payer money is being spent because someone is being paid and not doing their job.
That meeting room in the
Concerned Oak BluffsThat meeting room in the photo looks like it would be a great 5-8 grade classroom. The Tisbury library also has great rooms. Why displace high school students? Tisbury needs to solve this problem, not the school leaders.
As someone who grew up here and is now raising my family here, I know it is time to talk about regionalizing and uniting. The REGIONAL high school didn't ruin the island and all of it's charm and character. Solutions are going to require give and take from all towns.
Shame on the towns who continue to utilize community resources in other towns, but when asked to consider more fair contribution don't even show up to meetings, choose to look away, and proceed to abuse their privileged power. Each town inherits the fruits of both good and bad decisions of past leaders, but what we SHOULD do about the current issues requires everyone to acknowledge what they use (and abuse) and think about how a better system could more fairly be designed for the common good. Everyone talks about community, but there is no community without virtuous behavior.
What I find hard to believe
gina Menemsha /nycWhat I find hard to believe the timing of this plan .. It's certainly old news what dreadful/unsafe condition the Tisbury School has been for many yrs.. So finally the Superintendent & School Board took their blinders off & came up w/ a plan B???? Doesn't instill much confidence in either group of supposed school Leadership.. Per our Superintendent the HS is about to collapse due to normal maintenance neglect.. Guess the Leadership can't maintain what physical buildings that exist & push for new as the only solution to their obvious long term neglect
Gina with all due respect,
rick travers vineyard havenGina with all due respect, the condition of the high school did not happen overnight. Many years of lacking thorough maintenance and necessary upkeep is the cause. Dr. Weiss advocated for a Facilities Director for years and got shot down continuously. Hence the results. You must have someone in charge of any physical plant other than a head custodian or the principal. Multi-million dollar complexes require knowledgeable professionals to be in touch with issues as they happen and to put safeguards in place to hopefully prevent future issues (preventive maintenance). Administrators are not to blame for failing buildings unless of course they deny spending the money on needed upkeep and maintenance as genuinely required and advocated for by the building professional put in place. In a nut shell, it cost big dollars to truly maintain any complex and it is a constant. These buildings do not just fail overnight.
Obviously Rick, the HS
gina Menemsha /nycObviously Rick, the HS building condition didn't happen overnight.. But why would a legitimate position of a Facilities Director be. rejected by the HS school board since it was a known fact the building was in physical decline ?? It's a no brainer that preventative maintenance saves $$ in both short & long term.. It's $$ well spent .. Oddly enough the recent Superindent's letter to the newspapers failed to mention this sudden Tisbury School Plan B..
My opinion on all of this is
RICK TRAVERS VINEYARD HAVENMy opinion on all of this is that, since I have been paying attention, both Dr Weiss and Dr D'Andrea have been advocates for our schools complexes and their maintenance (or replacement if need be.) They understand that buildings do not complain, but when they do it gets costly and becomes very much an inconvenience to everyone involved. Laying blame and coming up with your own versions of how and why, without truly understanding the facts, is undeniably unfair. There have been some really great ideas brought to the table but for some reason change scares many. I am sure that some of the folks who thought that building a new school in VH was not such a good idea 2 years ago are rethinking that very thought. Cut our current leaders some slack and be kind. They will resolve this issue and I am sure they are doing the best that they can with the situation at hand that is no fault of their own.
Year round population~17,000
Carla Cooper EdgartownYear round population~17,000 (2010 census). 6 schools, 6 police departments, 6 libraries, 6 bureaucracies. 100% waste of taxpayer money & resources
Well said.......thank you
D EdgartownWell said.......thank you
Yes...at first blush very
Jason EdgartownYes...at first blush very wasteful. That said, Edgartown's local governance, while not perfect, seems more robust than I what see in some of the other towns. As an alternative, why not get other towns' governance to Edgartown's level? I wouldn't want VH's town "leaders" to be directing priorities for the town I live in. People choose here to live in part on the effectiveness of local governance. This issue is more complex that just apparent redundancy of leadership across the island.
When I travel in europe I
Tom VHWhen I travel in europe I always have to explain how the president was voted in and I don't know it happened. When traveling around island I have to explain how the VH BOS got voted in and I don't know how it happened.
Surely SOME ADMINISTRATOR
Ryan New JerseySurely SOME ADMINISTRATOR must have suspected or seen chipping paint at this old facility over the years! Did the light fail to go on or was it overlooked as being unimportant? All things aside, THE WEEK BEFORE SCHOOL STARTS??? And--- surprising to have an Assistant Principal in such a small school( and I am sure they are a great person and educator.) Typically the threshold for adding a second administrator is 500 students. SO SORRY FOR THE CHILDREN who are impacted by this mess both physically and emotionally, especially since it could have been avoided.
Is it any great shock that
James Martin EdgartownIs it any great shock that construction and building maintenance is out of the area of expertise of school administrators? These are individuals who typically have studied humanities, there are not many who came from construction and engineering backgrounds. It is such rudimentary common sense to have a facilities manager who oversees all of the school buildings and makes proposals based on what he can see with his own two eyes rather than expect school administrators who have very little knowledge in this area, to be on top of it.
You are absolutely correct.
BS Oak BluffsYou are absolutely correct. And the next time they propose a $46 million dollar school we need to call them out on the maintenance budget. We also need to call them out on the construction costs. These costs are based upon "prevailing wage" measures which are so far removed from real wages it's insane.
Well put James. As far as
RICK TRAVERS VINEYARD HAVENWell put James. As far as timing with this situation goes remember we are dealing with state agencies that do what that they want when they want. There is zero control on when they schedule their inspections. The blame game has to stop.
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