Salem Resident Input Sought On Future Of School Choice, New Building

SALEM, MA — Salem resident opinions are being sought as school officials determine the future design of the district — including school choice and the grade configuration of the new high school.

A virtual Salem Schools Community Engagement forum will be held Tuesday night from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Those looking to attend can register here.

Another in-person forum will be held on June 5 from 6:30 to 8 p.m. at the Saltonstall School.

"The majority will be discussion," Salem Superintendent Steve Zrike said. "We want to hear from you about school configuration as well as the choice policy. "

(Also on Patch: Should Salem High School Expand To Grades 7-8 In New Building?)

These forums will build off the discussions that were had during the 2021-22 school year amid the COVID-19 health crisis and as plans for the new high school are now being developed.

Zrike said a project manager was recently selected for the new school — which he called "an important milestone."

"I anticipate it's five or six years from now where we'll have a new building," he said. "We're actually moving — it might not feel that way to you in the public — at a pretty decent clip because we have been very aggressive at moving through the stages.

"And so out of our cohort of schools that were accepted into the pipeline, I think we are, if not the furthest ahead, among the furthest ahead."

Zrike said he attributes the progress to the School Building Committee leadership that has helped accelerate the process.

The input collected at these forums will be shared with the School Committee members for their review, discussion and future decision-making.

Childcare and Spanish language interpretation will be provided at the in-person events.

(Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at [email protected]. X/Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)