On March 14, Newton voters rejected Mayor Ruthanne Fuller’s proposal to levy an additional $9,175,000 in real estate and personal property taxes for a range of infrastructure improvements, senior programming, the expansion and renovation of the Horace Mann School. The “No” vote was 10,566 to 9,428 in favor. By almost the same numbers in reverse, Newton voters voted for two debt exclusion proposals to bond the renovation or replacement of the Franklin and Countryside Elementary Schools.
In acknowledging the impact of the No vote on the Horace Mann School, Mayor Ruthanne Fuller said, “As we navigate the spring budget process, I will simultaneously be working hard to see what we can do to help move our capital infrastructure plans forward. We do this every year at this time. The Horace Mann School addition and renovation is very important and will be part of our work. I will work hard to try and find a way to do the Horace Mann project sooner rather than later.” At the moment, according to an email sent to the Horace Mann community on March 15 from Josh Morse, Newton Public Buildings Commissioner, “the Horace Mann School Project is on hold.”
According to members of the Horace Mann Community Action Committee — including Chris Esmonde, Michael Haueisen, Lucia Panichella, Mike Feldstein, Phil Grgurich, and Alec Zimmer — the failure of the override feels like a betrayal. Since 2019, when the school was relocated from 687 Watertown Street (built in 1965) to 225 Nevada Street (the former Carr School, built in 1934), Horace Mann parents have been trying to get the City to renovate the 225 Nevada Street building. Until 2019, the Carr School had served as “swing space” for students from Angier, Zervas, and Cabot elementary schools while those schools were being built or renovated. Mayor Fuller apologized to the Horace Mann community for what she agreed was “mistake” in the decision making regarding turning the Carr School into the permanent home for Horace Mann.
Neither parents nor staff were consulted about the plan to relocate the school, when the City decided to use the 687 Watertown Street building to house the Newton Early Childhood Program. Among their many concerns:
- None of the classrooms at 225 Nevada Street met the square footage standards set by the Massachusetts School Building Authority.
- The school library is the smallest in the city.
- There is no assembly space.
- Special needs programs are conducted in hallways.
- The principal surrendered his office to create a break-out space.
- The two modular class rooms erected for the fifth grade do not connect to the school building or bathrooms.
According to Chris Esmonde, member of the Horace Mann Community Action Committee, “even getting band-aid remedies was difficult.” He also said that the move from 687 Watertown Street to 225 Nevada Street was badly handled. Teachers gave up some of their vacation time to help move furniture, rugs, and equipment to the new Horace Mann.
Responding to the problems documented by parents and staff, the City established the Horace Mann Building Committee, led by Commissioner Morse, to develop a plan to expand classroom size and to build an addition to the school. Funding for the project was to come from the planned override and City resources.
Ward Two School Committee member Chris Brzski explained that the Horace Mann Community was “only asking for improvements that match other schools and meet the needs of children. At the end of the day, the City has got to find the money.” He was upset that the capital project made part of the override — a view shared by City Councilor John Oliver, who had been the Horace Mann PTO president. Both believe that Newton residents support schools, but including the Horace Mann renovation and addition in the override with other priorities was a problem. For John Oliver, “the override was politics. I know this community well enough to say we want to get off the roller coaster and onto smooth sailing.” He noted that the cost to build an addition and renovate Horace Mann was a fraction of the cost of building Zervas, Angier, or Cabot schools. Both agreed that the needs of the students should be foremost in planning next steps.
On Monday, March 20, Horace Mann Community Action members Chris Esmonde, Phil Grgurich, and Alex Zimmer met with Mayor Fuller and Commissioner Morse. They all agreed to work together for a solution. City Councilor Susan Albright, President of the City Council and Councilor At Large from Ward 2, said she “will impress upon the Mayor how important Horace Mann is” and the need to get it done as quickly as possible.
