Building a New Middle School is the SMART Choice for Longmeadow

• Build one consolidated middle school at the Williams site.

• Location chosen for its centrality, access to major roads, proximity to Longmeadow High School, and alignment with public safety and transportation.

• New design will provide:

  • STEAM labs, flexible classrooms, and secure entrances.

  • Energy-efficient systems that cut long-term costs.

  • Better coordination of curriculum, electives, clubs, and extracurriculars by uniting all middle schoolers under one roof.

  • Facilities that foster stronger peer networks and a unified middle school identity.

• The MSBA has partnered with Longmeadow, ensuring state reimbursement for eligible project costs. Rejecting this proposal puts us back at the starting line Bonding to bring two out of date and out of code schools up to date will cost the taxpayers just as much if not more than borrowing for a new school

• Borrowing for a new school strengthens the town’s bond rating, unlike borrowing for repairs.

• Operating efficiencies: consolidation saves on transportation, food service, utilities, and maintenance.

• Investing now avoids pouring millions into temporary fixes and ensures the town gets maximum state funding support.

• Voting: September 30th Special Town Election

The Longmeadow Special Town Election will be held on September 30, 2025 to vote on a proposed debt exclusion for the Middle School Building Project. Polls will be open from 7AM - 8PM at the Longmeadow Community House. A copy of the sample ballot and Election Warrant can be found here: www.longmeadowma.gov/Elections

• If approved, construction can begin in 2026, with a new school opening in the late 2020s.

• Students: Modern, safe, flexible spaces designed for today’s learning, STEAM, and extracurricular needs.

• Families: A stronger, unified middle school program with more opportunities for all students.

• The Town: A school that sustains Longmeadow’s reputation as an educational leader, strengthens property values, and avoids inefficient spending.

• Future Generations: An investment that ensures Longmeadow continues to grow as a knowledgeable, capable, and unified community.

Information including agendas and minutes of the Building Committee, video recordings of meetings, and MSBA submissions can be found on the Middle School Building Project page on the Longmeadow Public School website. A Preliminary Design Program was submitted to the MSBA in May 2024. This document provides a complete assessment of both middle school sites as well as possible construction approaches, an analysis of potential building sites, and projected preliminary costs. The complete document is available to the public.

The building systems are at the end of their useful lives. Glenbrook opened in 1967 and has not experienced a renovation. Infrastructure and major building systems are mostly original. In 2021, a Facilities Condition Assessment concluded that Glenbrook was in immediate need of renovation or replacement. Specific concerns include:

• Accessibility: split level building with no elevator

• Fire suppression: no system, alarm and life safety systems not to modern code

• Air handling: antiquated and inefficient, in need of replacement

• 17 of 34 classrooms have partial walls and no doors

• Mechanical and electrical systems complicate renovation of open floor plan

• School security: open, split level design compromises safety and supervision

• Plumbing: original fixtures and equipment

• Electrical and lighting: original, undersized, underperforming

• Roof: from 1998, needs replacement

• Windows and doors: in need of replacement

• Parking and roadways: need redesign

• Two inefficient boilers running in isolation

• Electrical limitations inhibit technology integration and classroom configuration

• Uneven heat, air quality, and lighting; lack of natural light; poor comfort

• Repurposed classrooms (music in old home economics; STEAM in old metal shop; art in old wood shop)

• Inadequate space for project-based learning, digital learning, co-teaching, breakout spaces

• Accessibility: split level, narrow doorways, undersized classrooms, non-ADA fixtures

• Library limited by layout and size

• Science labs undersized, outdated, inaccessible, inflexible

• Special education lacks adequate space for diverse learners and adaptive PE

• Design does not promote flexibility, mobility, or coherent site layout

• Very limited planning and conference space

Williams opened in 1959. A 2015 study by JCJ Architects concluded that “all major infrastructure systems have exceeded their life expectancy.” Challenges include:

• Fire suppression: no system, alarms not up to code

• Building security systems inadequate and difficult to supervise

• Plumbing: original fixtures and equipment

• Windows: mostly original, single pane, in need of replacement

• Roof: dates to 1994, needs replacement

• Air handling: in need of complete replacement

• Modular classrooms: two at the end of their useful life

• Parking and roadways: in need of redesign

• Electrical and lighting: original

JCJ Architects concluded in 2015 that the building is outdated and unable to support modern pedagogy. Specific challenges include:

• Electrical limitations inhibit technology integration and classroom configuration

• Uneven heat, air quality, and lighting

• Repurposed classrooms (art and STEAM in old metal and wood shops)

• Library limited by location, layout, and size

• Science labs undersized, outdated, inaccessible, inflexible

• Industrial-era design doesn’t support modern learning methods

• Accessibility: undersized classrooms, non-ADA compliant fixtures and equipment

• Special education lacks adequate space for diverse learners and adaptive PE

• Two temporary portable classrooms serve Special Education students

A new consolidated middle school would provide all students with access to a 21st-century learning environment and allow all middle schoolers to learn under one roof. Benefits include:

• A more aligned approach to curriculum, instruction, and professional development

• Consistent expectations and experiences for all students

• Larger grade-level cohorts for better class distribution and peer networks

• Expanded extracurricular programs

• Unified transition from grade 5 to grade 6

• Operational and personnel efficiencies in facilities and food service

• More opportunities for teacher collaboration

• Improved delivery of special education services

• Expanded elective offerings

The Middle School Building Committee, with JWA Architects, determined Williams as the best option. It is centrally located, offers better accessibility to Longmeadow High School, and has direct access to a major corridor for buses and public safety.

Other sites were limited by wetlands, parkland status, or topographical issues. A detailed site analysis is included in the Preliminary Design Program submission to the MSBA (see section 6-A, page 223).

Glenbrook is in a dense residential neighborhood, less central, and not directly accessible from a main street. It would require more bussing and is farther from the high school, limiting shared space use.

Its shape and wetlands create constraints, and construction would require phasing, causing student disruption and costly modular classrooms not reimbursed by the MSBA.

A Traffic Impact Study by Tighe & Bond determined the Williams site is feasible. Mitigation strategies may include:

• Extended roadways, loading zones, and dedicated bus lanes

• Separate staff parking

• Dedicated left turn lane off Williams Street

• Expanded before/after school activity options to stagger traffic

• New procedures to expedite loading and unloading

• Separated sidewalks and bike paths

• Speed warning signs and crosswalks

Renovations or additions would disrupt students by relocating classrooms and staff into temporary, less desirable spaces.

By contrast, a new middle school would allow students to stay in their current buildings during construction. Once complete, the new facility would open fully furnished and ready for all middle schoolers to transition at the same time.