This announcement follows a meeting Mayor Sarno, Superintendent Warwick and other officials had with state Treasure Deb Goldberg and the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA) on Wednesday, December 14th to discuss the district’s financial and community readiness to enter the MSBA Capital Pipeline plan and feasibility study phase for building a new Gerena School. In addition, the initial plans for the district to advance the project to build a new Gerena School was discussed during the recent School Committee meeting on Thursday, December 14th.
Mayor Sarno states, “I want to thank Treasure Deb Goldberg and the incredible team at the MSBA for their continued belief and investment in our Springfield schools. My administration is ready to go and break ground to build a brand new state-of-the-art Gerena School in our North End neighborhood. This is all possible and thanks to our sound, prudent and sustainable fiscal management policies that have enabled us to have the highest bond rating in the city’s history, while maintaining a healthy reserve account. I am also proud of the fact that my administration, in partnership with Superintendent Daniel Warwick, Parks, Building and Recreation Management (PBRM) Executive Director Patrick Sullivan, Director of Capital Asset Management Peter Garvey, Deputy Director of Facilities Jon Carignan, and the MSBA, we are now close to investing over $1 billion into building new schools and renovating existing schools. The most in the Commonwealth! Stay tuned as this important project for our teachers, students and families advances through this initial phase.”
Superintendent Warwick stated, "Building the future of education is a collective endeavor, and I am thrilled to join Mayor Sarno, the School Committee and the entire Springfield community in advancing the vision for a new German Gerena School. This significant investment, totaling over $1 billion in new schools and renovations, underscores our unwavering commitment to providing the best possible learning environments for students. Together, with community support, we are excited to move into the initial phase of building a new German Gerena School and I look forward to witnessing the positive impact it will have on the educational experience of our teachers, students, and families in the North End neighborhood and beyond.”
School Committee member Joesiah Gonzalez said, "I want to express my gratitude to our Mayor, Superintendent, and fellow members of the School Committee for their decision to prioritize Gerena as our top project for the Massachusetts School Building Authority. Numerous individuals have worked tirelessly in the past to organize and advocate for a new school, and now we are thrilled to see our efforts come to fruition. The future project will bring us a community school that will serve as the centerpiece of our North End. Thank you once again to everyone involved in this decision. "
City Councilor Maria Perez said, “The Gerena School project has been a priority for me ever since I served as a School Committeewoman. I want to thank Mayor Sarno and the administration for their efforts in advancing this much needed community school project. We have been working to advance this project for so long and I am so happy to see it start to take shape with this initial phase. This new school project will greatly benefit the neighborhood and our teachers, faculty, students and family.”