The School Department and School Committee recommended that the Woburn Street School proposal be withdrawn at a meeting last night. The proposal is officially off the table, according to Town Manager Robert LeLacheur.
Town Officials originally proposed purchasing the building at 172A Woburn St., next to St. Agnes Church, to address the problem of the growing pre-school population and expansion of full day kindergarten for all students. The School Committee voted last fall to offer free, full day kindergarten to all Reading kindergartners at an unspecified future date and has been looking for space for those students ever since.
The purchase price for the Woburn Street building was $1.4 million and it would've needed renovations.
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The School Committee suggested that the proposal be withdrawn for a variety of reasons, LeLacheur said. Neighborhood, parking and financial issues are the main roadblocks, according to LeLacheur.
"It's up to them it's their call," LeLacheur said when asked what he thought about the decision. "We did a lot of work to help them and we will continue to help them explore other options."
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Currently, there are four other options that the committee is considering:
- Modular classrooms at the local elementary schools
- Additions to the elementary schools
- Renting space in town
- Building a new building
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