MARBLEHEAD — The planned $21 million renovation of the old Village School won't be underway when kids come back to school next month. But even when work begins several months later, the impact on students should be minimal.
"When the kids come back to class, it will be business as usual," Superintendent Paul Dulac said. "Our goal is to start school in the most efficient and effective way we can."
The biggest change at Village School initially will likely be the absence of Principal Donnie Leclerc, who left to take a job as superintendent in Norfolk on the South Shore.
Assistant Principal Danielle Cherry will take Leclerc's place on an acting basis.
The search for a new permanent principal, meanwhile, is not near completion, Dulac said. "We're working on resolving the issue."
When construction at Village School finally begins — probably this coming January — the careful planning done in the interim will avoid any disruption for the students, he said. He hopes to see all the work done — replacing the heating system, the roof and some windows — within a year's time, by January 2010.
Dulac is trying to find a contractor willing do to the work quickly while keeping a safe environment for students.
"We're still negotiating," he said.
These months were set aside from the beginning to plan the project, he said. Included will be efforts to forewarn students about the need to stay clear of any construction or traffic generated by the project.
"We had a parent meeting last week," Dulac said, an effort to outline the steps to be taken. For example, a separate parking lot for construction workers will be provided.
Once construction starts, the sixth-grade class will go to Veterans Middle School. Meanwhile, the fact that the school was originally two distinct structures, one building constructed in 1955 and the other in 1967, will allow the two classes to be sent to the '67 building while the '55 school is renovated.
"We'll close off that school," he said. No classes will be held there. Students shouldn't be bothered by the work, either, Dulac said. "I don't expect there's going to be much noise getting through."
In the following year, Dulac said, "They'll flip-flop." The students will go to the newly renovated 1955 building and construction workers will begin to update the 1967 structure.
The hallways between the buildings will be blocked during construction, Dulac said. Students won't be allowed near the construction site, which includes both the inside and outside of the school.
"There will be very little contact," he said. "We have a very strong security scenario."
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