By Mayor Joseph A. Curtatone

(The opinions and views expressed in the commentaries and letters to the Editor of The Somerville Times belong solely to the authors and do not reflect the views or opinions of The Somerville Times, its staff or publishers)

They say to be true to your school, but Somerville High School is still essentially the same building complex it was when I was a student there more than 30 years ago. With the main section of the high school having been built in the late 1800s, and no major renovations since the 1920s (though some of the “new” portions of the building date back to the 1950s), it is certainly no secret that our beloved high school needs some serious attention. Even the newest section, the Eugene C. Brune Field House, is coming up on its 30th anniversary. Simply put, the high school campus long ago saw its best days and we can’t go very far into the future with these buildings as they’re currently constructed.

The maintenance costs are exorbitant. The antiquated steam heating system can’t regulate classroom temperatures. Some classes feel like you’re in boiler room, others feel like an icebox. The building lacks proper insulation and pretty much all the windows need to be replaced with energy-efficient models. The exterior continues to crumble and the interior systems are a collection of patchwork and jury-rigging that require constant maintenance.

Most of all, we’ve been put on notice by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges that if we don’t make significant progress to reconstruction or major renovations, our accreditation could be at stake. During the past 12 years we have increased our school spending 35%, by more than $16 million, turning Somerville into one of the great educational stories in the Commonwealth and no way are we going to fritter away that progress due to a dilapidated high school complex. The college prospects and employment opportunities for our students depend on that accreditation and we cannot fail them in this regard.

What this means is we need to take action. First, we need to come together as a community and develop a plan for a high school that can take us through the rest of the 21st century, but then we need to act, and we need to act quickly. I want to stress that the choice here isn’t whether we tackle this issue, it’s exactly how we do it. The options are either a massive renovation, or a replacement. We have an education plan for the high school that details our size and space needs. The plan lays out the role the high school building needs to play in the educational experience of our students. Now we have to marry the pragmatic building issues with that educational vision.

By June, we need to submit our preferred option to the Massachusetts School Building Authority. As I just mentioned, the renovation options will be extensive, involving foundational and structural overhauls along with full facility systems upgrades. We also could renovate portions of the current campus and build new additions to go along with it. The replacement options involve using the current site, and finding a new one. There are some innovative ideas on the table, but there is no small-scale project option here. We have a massive undertaking in front of us no matter how we plan it.

I know we have a lot going on in the city on the development front, but our high school sits at the top of the priority list. We have to construct a modern, efficient facility that meets the educational needs of our students, and the needs of a 21st century education. The children of our community deserve no less and we are on the clock in term of getting a plan in place.

I encourage people to go to http://www.somervillema.gov/highschool/ to review the various building alternatives and give your input on what you think are the best alternatives. This is a legacy we will leave to future generations and we want the best possible project we can design.