On August 25, over 500 middle school students in Holyoke filed into the newly built William R. Peck Middle School – the first new public school built in the city since 1989 – to start their first day of classes.
The facility’s modern amenities – a science lab stocked with 3D printers, a media center with a library that will soon be filled with books, and a new fitness center – are providing learning and enrichment opportunities to kids in one of the state’s most disadvantaged school districts, where nearly 84 percent of students are low-income and 90 percent are considered high-need.
The expansive courtyard, newly constructed classrooms, large windows, and wide, spacious hallways are just some of the brand-new building’s features.
“There’s a sense of pride that kids have when they walk into Peck. Like, ‘Oh my god, my community cares about me,’” said Anthony Soto, interim superintendent of Holyoke Public Schools.
But as those students enjoy a state-of-the-art facility, the other half of the district’s middle school students aren’t so lucky. Instead, they file into Clare P. Sullivan Middle School, a building constructed in 1961 that was originally built as an elementary school.
In 2019, Holyoke set out to build two new middle schools to replace their dated facilities. After months of heated debate, the ballot measure to fund the project was voted down by the community, and the city was forced to continue with the construction of just one school – all they could afford. Some say the outcome is a testament to how limited fiscal capacity, an insufficient state funding formula, and local tax constraints work to prevent Gateway Cities like Holyoke from building equitable, modern school facilities.
But many community members and local officials also argue that racial bias has long prevented the city from investing in its public schools, and it wasn’t the first time property tax overrides have been divisive for the community.
Published by MassINC