More Than a Construction Project: Perspectives on Pollard

Pollard Middle School is nearly seventy years old, and the town is aware of its shortcomings as the sole middle school for grades seven and eight. But replacing the school is a task that seems to become more difficult and farther from completion with each meeting despite the best efforts of the Pollard School Building Committee. In fact, the once last-resort idea of building a new school at neighboring DeFazio Park now seems just as likely as building the new school on the current site. Behind the drama in town government however, are the voices of the school community and individuals within it who are, and will be, most closely affected by the project.

Among the issues with the original plan of renovating/rebuilding the school at the current site is the fact that classes must continue in the current building during construction. Pollard social studies teacher Joshua Sanders told The Hilltopper that “my main concern is not wanting to teach in an active construction zone for 3-4 years while the project is being completed.” When combined with the fact that plans for construction at Pollard line up a new building extremely close to the current school, rebuilding at Pollard begins to sound unreasonable and even detrimental to learning. Drawbacks from building at DeFazio are also severe. Among them is the fact that building a school on land dedicated to public recreation requires not only a vote in Town Meeting, but also a vote from the State Legislature, adding months to the pre-construction process.

Hidden behind the seemingly endless back-and-forth about which location will best suit the needs of current and future students and staff are those who realize that something must be done soon. Pollard was built before the Americans with Disabilities Act and does not comply with basic regulations like fire codes. Sanders said that, despite the town’s dedicated efforts to get the project underway as soon as possible, these issues with the current building, whether that be fluctuating temperatures or overcrowding, can be seen by “anyone who works daily at Pollard”. He suggested that building from the ground up might be a better idea than trying to salvage the old building with extensive renovations. 

Sanders emphasized that in these moments where the future seems up in the air, Needham Public Schools has done an excellent job keeping staff informed and allowing diverse viewpoints to be heard. A bulletin board dedicated to the project has even been set up by the Pollard main office to continue a commitment of making this project one which is community-oriented. Of course, not everyone can get what they want in a situation where there is no “good” solution. Instead, the school system has prioritized doing “the best they can with what they have,” whether that means efforts to provide some of the best public education in the state to nearly one thousand students every year despite a less-than-ideal building, or a commitment to finding a way to create an even brighter future for education in Needham in the midst of extreme logistical struggles.