'We want a new school'

Apr. 16—LAWRENCE — Fifth grader Endy Leonardo is sick of having unwanted visitors join him for his lunch during the school day. In fact, those visitors didn't get the social distancing memo and are, as he explains, making him feel "itchy, sad and mad."

No, he's not talking about school bullies: Leonardo is instead referring to ants, mice and other critters that have taken over the Oliver Partnership School, only to pop up for a snack during mealtimes.

Leonardo was one of several students to voice concerns during a Thursday morning rally at Campagnone Common in support of a new Oliver Partnership School. Joined by Principal Shalimar Quiles, Leonardo and his classmates held hand-drawn signs and chanted "we want a new school" as they marched from their temporary location at the former St. Mary's School to the common.

Once there, students and parents offered remarks in hopes that the governing body votes to pass the $132 million budget necessary to pay for a new school building. Students like Leonardo wrote letters, explaining what the existing school was like for them before they relocated in February after the building's heating unit finally gave out.

"Dear City Council: Have you guys ever seen inside of the Oliver? Probably not, so I'll tell you all about it," Leonardo wrote. "We need a new school because of infestations, leaky pipes and bad smelling air. Every time someone would put food on their desk, ants would pop up. One way you could help is voting for the new school. Voting helps because the new school gives us more space to be educated. Please and thank you."

According to Quiles, students spent the last several weeks discussing the importance of speaking up for what's right when it comes to issues including racial justice, disability rights and voting. The principal encouraged students to "be the change makers," she said.

One such change maker was fifth grader Jenice DeJesus, who said she was afraid the building was going to collapse. She also said there was no place to play at recess or to do gymnastics. Like Leonardo, she also worried students would get sick because of rodent droppings.

"You can see that they're speaking with conviction and passion because it's something that affects them," Quiles said of DeJesus, Leonardo and the 320 other students who marched in support of the issue. Other students attending school remotely joined the session over the phone with help from their teachers, the principal said.

After the April 6 City Council meeting, during which discussions for the new school were tabled because members could not decide if a vote should be taken, teachers started to discuss the issue in classrooms.

"We updated them on what went on at the meeting and asked them how it felt to hear someone like Councilor (Maria) De La Cruz or Councilor (Marc) Laplante's comments and had an open discussion," Quiles said of the councilors opposing the budget's passage.

In the past, Laplante has said the passage of the school's budget would result in a "perfect storm" for Lawrence taxpayers, who could see an increase of more than $200 in property taxes for the average single family homeowner.

The proposed new building would combine both the Oliver Partnership School, which houses elementary learners in grades one through five, and UP Academy Oliver's students from grades six through eight.

A grant from the Massachusetts School Building Authority is being used to correct a number of deficiencies identified by the district, including mechanical, electrical and plumbing concerns. The state reimbursement, however, has a cap on eligible expenses, Business Manager Mark Ianello explained, of $333 per square foot. All told, the city would be reimbursed for 46% of the project and taxpayers would foot the rest of the bill, making the city's portion more like $71 million, Ianello said.

School Committee member Joshua Alba, who attended the rally along with School Committee colleagues Kassandra Infante and Jonathan Guzman, realizes the plight the council faces.

"This situation has put our City Council between a rock and a hard place," he said. "They must take out a loan to build the new school, but our community cannot afford our taxes to be raised to make up the difference."

The council has less than a month to reconsider the item before the MSBA needs to finalize the funding.

Jeovanny Rodriguez is one of the councilors supporting the project. He attended Thursday's rally and took a video he plans to show his colleagues during the next meeting April 20.

"The kids need the school and from the beginning I've been in support of it," Rodriguez said. "If we want a better education for them, we have to invest in our educational system."

Jennifer Ramos, an ESL teacher at the Oliver for the last eight years, underscored the importance of investing in Lawrence's children.

"Research states that there is a strong relationship between poor student achievement and poor building conditions," she said. "Our students have so many obstacles they have to overcome through no fault of their own. Let us break the cycle and let these students be proud of their school and be in an environment that indicates that the possibilities are endless for them."