Should Salem High School Expand To Grades 7-8 In New Building?

SALEM, MA — A determination of whether to expand Salem High School to a grades 7-12 facility in the new building is one of the critical early decisions that will substantially impact the forthcoming design face of the school.

Members of the High School Building Committee on Thursday night brainstormed ways to engage the community on ways to determine the public's feelings on adding seventh- and eighth-graders to the new building when it is completed.

"Our application to the (State Building Authority) was to look at the feasibility of both a 9-12 high school and a 7-12," Salem Superintendent Steve Zrike said. "Not an 8-12, not a 6-12, it's specifically 7-12 or 9-12. I do feel like we have to go back out to the community (on this decision). There are other questions that we want to talk with the community about as well.

"There was some positive energy around a 7-12 school (during previous facility master plan meetings). (Former) Mayor (Kim) Driscoll was a big supporter of that at the time. There were also a lot of folks who have said that, given our size, we should explore a 7-12 facility that would impact every seventh-grader through 12-grader in the city of Salem.

"I don't think it's right, though, to move forward and make a decision without more community input."

The community engagement will take place this spring and this summer ahead of the timeline to hire the designer in the fall.

The School Building Committee will make a recommendation on the high school configuration to the School Committee, which will ultimately make the decision whether to keep the traditional 9-12 setup or expand it to grades 7-12.

"The decision is going to have to be made whether it's worth the investment," Zrike said. "Is there interest from the public? Is (in line with our) commitment to our education vision? Does 7-12 fit that? Does 9-12 fit that?

"It's obviously going to cost more to build a 7-12 facility."

(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.)