School Committee advances $13 million request for Fall River school repairs

The City Council will consider a request from the school department for $13.17 million to make substantial repairs to the James Tansy and Samuel Watson Elementary Schools.School Committee advances $13 million request for Fall River school repairs

FALL RIVER – The Watson and Tansey schools are one vote away from $13 million in repairs.

The City Council will consider a request from the school department for $13.17 million to make substantial repairs to the James Tansy and Samuel Watson Elementary Schools.

The School Committee, Monday, approved a measure to allow Superintendent Matthew Malone to make the request.

Watson needs work on its roof, windows, doors and boiler, school officials say. Tansy needs work on its windows, doors and boilers, they add.

If the appropriation is approved, $6 million of the total will be paid for by the Massachusetts School Building Authority, school officials say.

Mayor Jasiel Correia II is pushing for the measure.

“I voted to support it as the chair of the school committee,” he said. “We cannot afford to pass up on MSBA funding which is being provided.

“Children and teachers deserve safe, accessible, state of the art schools.”

The MSBA also invited the school department to apply for money to put a new roof on the Westhall Elementary School and to repair boilers and the roof at the Resiliency Preparatory Academy.

The school department is asking for $250,000 to conduct studies to determine the amount of work that needs to be done at those two schools and to prepare the application to the MSBA.

If the MSBA approves the projects, it typically pays for about 60 percent of the total cost.

The measure must pass the City Council to go forward.

The meeting is scheduled to begin at 5:30 p.m. Monday in the Council Chambers at Government Center.

Email Kevin P. O’Connor at koconnor@heraldnews.com.