In a virtual public meeting on Tuesday night, Newton’s Chief Operating Officer Josh Morse presented his opposition to the possibility of consolidating the Ward and Underwood elementary schools in favor of separate renovation projects. 

The debate over whether to consolidate the two century-old elementary schools in need of repairs or to proceed with separate renovation projects has been ongoing for nearly four years. At a public hearing last November, concerned community members shared stories of families attending Ward and Underwood for generations and the walkability of both schools. 

At the meeting, Morse presented what a possible consolidation would look like, before sharing his recommendations. Taking into account predictions for a rise in enrollment between the two schools in the coming years, a combined elementary school would need to accommodate about 660 students, including a 10% buffer. 

“A school this size would be roughly 30 classrooms and would be unprecedented in Newton,” he said. “It would not only be the largest elementary school in the city’s history, but also larger in both enrollment and physical footprint than current middle schools, such as Oak Hill and Bigelow.”

Morse also examined the land limitations of building a combined school on the existing property of either school. He determined Underwood’s site to be too small at one acre. Ward’s site is protected by Article 97, a state law that required City-owned open land at the time to be maintained as park land, or else replaced by an alternative piece of park land. In addition, Morse said the streets adjacent to Ward are narrow, which would cause parking and busing concerns. 

The use of Burr Park, another site under consideration, would take away field space from Bigelow Middle School that is also protected under Article 97. 

Morse said he also dug into the practicality of a consolidation, including impact on neighborhoods, property values and education quality, among other factors. From a cost perspective, the COO said the difference between maintaining one versus two school buildings is minimal. 

Morse added that the decision is not a question of whether Newton can combine the two schools, but whether the city should combine them. 

“What we need from the community is support,” he said. “Projects of this size are going to require the support of the voters by way of a debt exclusion override package.” 

He noted that moving forward with consolidation or separate projects will require support from voters, City Council and the school committee.

Morse encouraged parents and interested community members to email him at jmorse@newtonma.gov to join a listserv for updates on future plans for Ward and Underwood.