Voting 3 to 2, the Elementary School Building Committee decided last night to recommend constructing an eight-room addition to the Cleveland School rather than pursuing a brand-new school building. Two of the seven committee members present abstained from the vote.
The committee also agreed to convene with Superintendent of Schools Philip O. Coakley and the School Committee at Norwood Town Hall on Thursday evening, September 19. Committee member Jean R. Brown recommended scheduling the meeting for mid-September so the committee could review “actual, room-by-room statistics of enrollment at the Oldham School.” Mrs. Brown, alongside committee members Joseph Wall and John A. Abdallah, voted in favor of proposing the Cleveland School addition. Chairman Arthur B. Rodgers and member Joseph R. Olshan voted against the motion, while Grafton J. Corbett and Paul M. Murphy abstained.
Corbett stated he felt the committee could not make a definitive recommendation until after conferring with school officials, and Murphy noted he had heard that the School Committee and Superintendent Coakley opposed additions because they “would upset the curriculum.” “As far as I’m concerned, this certainly isn’t enough information for me to go on. We’re paying the superintendent good money, we should listen to what he has to say,” Murphy argued.
Conversely, Wall insisted that enrollment statistics supported an eight-room addition and argued that the committee needed to take a firm stance before meeting with school administrators. “We have to have a point to begin with when we meet with Mr. Coakley and the School Committee,” Abdallah added in seconding Wall’s recommendation. Wall further noted that the Balch School, comprising 20 rooms, had operated efficiently, prompting Abdallah to remark, “Any principal that can’t handle an additional eight classrooms ought to resign.” Wall also recalled that when the Prescott and Cleveland schools were originally built, town officials indicated they were engineered to allow for vertical or horizontal expansion if necessary.
However, Chairman Rodgers maintained his conviction that a new elementary school was required at Wilson Street, noting that school officials and Superintendent Coakley preferred a new facility. Rodgers cautioned the committee that public debate was inevitable regardless of the final decision, stating, “…you’re going to have an argument no matter what you decide upon.”
In addition to scheduling the September conference, the committee voted unanimously to recommend adding a cafetorium to the Balch School, and reviewed the establishment of 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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Local Firm Designing Additions To Balch & Cleveland Schools-August 5, 1964
This Day In Norwood History-August 5, 1964-Local Firm Designing Both School Additions
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Oldham School Drainage Repairs Scheduled For Completion-June 24, 1964
Corrective Measures Target Long-Standing Controversy At Elementary Site Corrective measures designed to resolve persisting drainage problems at the Oldham Elementary School are scheduled to be completed by the end of this week. The ongoing drainage difficulties at the new school site had been the subject of a long controversy in discussions of the Oldham School…
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School Study Committee Recommends 16-Room Elementary School-October 4, 1963
The School Study Committee votes 5-4 to recommend a new 16-room elementary school and unanimously backs a Balch School addition for the upcoming special town meeting.
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Oldham School Committee to Review Contractor Deadlines-September 12, 1964
The Oldham School Committee meets to evaluate construction deadlines as Norwood public schools open for the academic year, while selectmen delay a store food license.
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Oldham School Opening Set for Wednesday, New Teacher Appointments-August 30, 1963
As Norwood prepares for the new academic year, the School Committee has announced plans to open the newly constructed John P. Oldham Elementary School next Wednesday, contingent upon final safety inspections of its heating and ventilating systems. While municipal electric light department crews rushed to finish electrical work and boilers were fired for the first…
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Oldham Building Committee Demands Immediate Action Over Construction Delays and Poor Workmanship-August 20, 1963
Citing roof leaks, unground floors, and poor workmanship, the Oldham School Building Committee confronted general contractor Edward Goverman and called in bonding company representatives.
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School Building Committee Votes to Recommend Addition to Cleveland School-August 16, 1963
By a 3-2 vote, Norwood’s Elementary School Building Committee recommended an eight-room addition to the Cleveland School rather than constructing a new facility on Wilson Street.
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School Committee Considers New School Sites-March 22, 1962
NORWOOD, Mar, 22 -Arthur B. Rodgers, chairman of the School Housing Study Committee which is responsible for the long-range projection of the towns future school needs, has requested information from the School Committee on its plans for new schools. Being considered by the School Committee are the possibilities of the construction of a second junior…
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New Look at Norwood High School Addition-This Day in Norwood History-January 18, 1962
NEW LOOK AT THE HILLTOP—The aerial camera of Larry McDavitt oí the Marguerite Studio embraces the entire expanded Norwood High School plant, now rapidly nearing completion. The addition, costing just under $2,000,000 and doubling the capacity of the old school, is now expected to be ready for occupancy February 15. It is planned to hold…
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Pupils Get Three-Day Extension Due To High School Addition-September 7, 1961
Pupils Get Three-Day Extension Due To High School Addition-This Day In Norwood History-September 7, 1961
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