This summer the Watertown Public Schools and the Watertown community are working with the Cambridge architectural firm SMMA (Symmes Maini & McKee Associates) to develop a
School Facilities Master Plan.
This is the first important step to review and assess the capacity
of our school buildings to support the teaching and learning needs of the district.
The limitations of the school district’s current buildings have become increasingly apparent with the need for special program spaces, pressure from increasing enrollments, and a goal of maintaining appropriate class sizes.
Watertown’s current school buildings are at least 60
years old and were designed for a time with very different educational needs than the present.
This first phase of planning includes an extensive look at each school building and the
development of alternative options for renovation, additions, or building replacements. To
assist in this process, a 16-person Steering Committee composed of community members, elected and appointed officials, and educators is meeting with SMMA every two weeks, and an
Educational Leadership Team composed of district educators also was created to focus on the
district’s educational vision and program needs.
The Steering Committee will continue to meet through the summer. Its meetings are open to the public and Watertown Cable is taping each meeting. A schedule of meetings and additional information are available online at the Internet
address listed below.
In addition, three community forums are scheduled to provide opportunities for community
engagement. The first forum in June highlighted the strengths, opportunities, and challenges
that face the Watertown schools.
The next forum, on Wednesday, July 27 at 7 p.m. at the
Watertown High School, will focus on different options for redesigning the school buildings.
The third forum is on August 24 at 7 p.m. at the High School and will include a presentation by
SMMA of its findings.
More information on the planning process is available online at
https://sites.google.com/a/watertown.k12.ma.us/wps/sc/watertown-high-school-project.