Brockton school building swaps leave SABURA without a home. Here's what we know.
BROCKTON ― SABURA, a community organization focusing on education and recreation, has been housed in The Goddard School on Union Street since 2020. The organization will however need to find a new home, as the School Committee voted to move the city's Adult Learning Center and Community Schools summer programs to the Goddard School in the fall.
"They'll have facilities to use, they won't have a permanent place like they have now that we're paying for," said James Cobbs, acting superintendent of Brockton Public Schools. "That's a school building and needs to be used for school purposes."
It is not known where SABURA programming will be located. School officials said at recent meetings that the organization could use school space but would likely not have a permanent home in one of the buildings.
For the last three years, the school district has paid for the organization to use the building. Cobbs and Brockton Mayor Robert Sullivan said at the May 7 School Committee meeting that the city will work with SABURA to find locations the team can utilize throughout the year.
Anita "Leny" Monteiro, co-founder of SABURA, appeared before the committee at their May 15 meeting expressing displeasure with the decision and discussion about her program.
"I was bothered by the last school committee meeting in which my name and SABURA was brought up several times and the feeling that the community center is a hindrance," said Monteiro, a 1997 Brockton High graduate.
More: Proposed school facility moves meet resistance from some Brockton School Committee members
SABURA is a community group that offers summer programs for kids as well as tutoring, English classes and workshops for adults.
'Just throwing SABURA out'
SABURA began in 2014 with 75 students attending the youth camps. According to Monteiro, the program now brings in over 300 students throughout the school year.
Since 2020, Monteiro and her team have worked in The Goddard School, which is in poor physical condition and the second floor is currently under renovations. The district plans to spend $45,000 to repair the building this summer, along with another $300,000 to install an exterior elevator to accommodate the Adult Learning Center and Community Schools moving to this facility in the fall.
"The fact that we're just throwing SABURA out when they've been basically in that building, they've been tolerating how the building has been, I think somebody needs to advocate for them," said School Committee member Ana Oliver. "To basically say, June 30 you no longer have a dedicated space, I think it's unfair for all the work they do."
BPS facility changes: Adult Learning Center moving to Goddard School despite opposition from students, staff
Cobbs said he walked through the Goddard building with Monteiro as well as representatives from the Adult Learning Center and Community Schools. Even with a renovated second floor, the facility cannot fit all three programs.
"They felt that the three together, that just wasn't going to be enough space," said Cobbs. "So obviously we have to accommodate the schools."
This article originally appeared on The Enterprise: SABURA to leave Goddard School home as Adult Learning Center moves in
