The Elementary School Building Committee voted 3 to 2 to recommend constructing an eight-room addition to the Cleveland School rather than pursuing a brand-new school building, with two members abstaining from the vote.
Meeting at the town hall, committee members debated the town’s elementary school capacity needs. Member Joseph Wall, supported by Jean R. Brown and John A. Abdallah, argued that current enrollment statistics justified an eight-room addition, with Wall noting that the larger Balch School already operated efficiently at 20 rooms. Abdallah concurred, remarking that any principal capable of managing the institution should easily handle eight additional classrooms. Conversely, Chairman Arthur B. Rodgers and member Joseph R. Olshan voted in opposition, insisting that professional educators favored constructing a new elementary school on Wilson Street to avoid disrupting the curriculum. Committee members Grafton J. Corbett and Paul M. Murphy abstained, with Murphy emphasizing that the committee should consult Supt. of Schools Philip O. Coakley and the School Committee before reaching a final verdict.
To bridge the gap, the committee unanimously voted to schedule a joint meeting with Superintendent Coakley and the School Committee at the Town Hall on Thursday evening, September 19, allowing officials to review room-by-room enrollment statistics from the Oldham School. Additionally, the building committee voted to recommend adding a cafetorium to the Balch School, while school officials simultaneously established a new school district encompassing the Rustic Acres development and a section of Westover.
Archival Note: This article has been dynamically reconstructed from the original public record print archives of the Patriot Ledger
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