State: Newton South science labs too small

by | Jul 26, 2012 | Newton | 2 comments

Wicked Local reports that the Newton Public School Department’s application for state funding for a new science lab at Newton South  has been turned down because their size doesn’t meet state standards for science laboratories:

The 15-year-old lab is inadequately designed and has poor operating systems resulting in students not having a full laboratory science experience, according to the statement of interest the School Department submitted to the Massachusetts School Building Authority in January.

2 Comments

  1. Newton Mom
    Newton Mom on July 27, 2012 at 7:52 am

    Great. . . . the Angier kids who will eventually be there, will feel right at home since Angier is inadequate in general. Very sad. Very sad for the students, and sadder for the tax payers who PAID for the lab, that wasn’t built right (don’t even get me started on the classroom size at North).

  2. Steve Siegel
    Steve Siegel on July 27, 2012 at 11:36 pm

    Here is the specific language of the update given by NPS to the School Committee on July 19th:

    V. MSBA Science Lab Initiative:

    On January 11, 2012 a Science Lab Statement of Interest (SOI) was submitted to the MSBA on behalf of Newton South to seek available funding for upgrades to the science labs, after submissions of extensive additional data requested by the MSBA and a tour and meeting with the MSBA on May 18, 2012. At a June 26, 2012 meeting with the Mayor, the School Committee Chair, Superintendent and other administrators, the MSBA indicated that the Science Lab Initiative does not match the needs of the science labs at Newton South. The MSBA feedback is that the science curriculum and program at Newton South is outstanding. The MSBA program is focused on interior renovations and their assessment of South is that classroom sizes would require expansion, a project that is beyond the scope of this initiative at this time.