West Elementary School
The original West Elementary School was constructed circa 1849 along Beacon Street. In 1952, a new West Elementary facility was erected at the same Beacon Street location.
In 1956, the first expansion was completed, accommodating students from kindergarten through sixth grade. The second expansion, finalized in 1970, featured an array of facilities, including a media center, cafeteria, auditorium seating 365, faculty room, gymnasium, and two classroom pods. Additionally, new offices, a clinic, conference room, and reception area were added. West Elementary transitioned to a K-5 school in September 1988, following a district reconfiguration.
Ranked second in size after Andover High School, West Elementary hosts over 660 students and boasts a staff of 100, comprising teachers, tutors, instructional assistants, and support personnel.[1]
At the June, 2021 Town Meeting, voters approved the $152 million combined West Elementary, Shawsheen Preschool construction project.[2]
The groundbreaking ceremony for the project was held in June 2022.[3]
The project is described as “construction of a new 191,000 +/- gross square foot school building, comprised of a three-story K-5 structure and a two-story PreK wing, on property owned by the Town of Andover located at 58 Beacon Street. Also includes outdoor learning and gathering areas, accessible walkways, new synthetic playfields, parking, and new underground utilities.”[4]
In December, 2022, a Special Town Meeting was held to approve an additional $16.4 million toward the construction project.[5]
In March of 2024, it was announced that the state added extra funds into the 2024 fiscal year budget to better support projects done in collaboration with the Massachusetts School Building Authority. The change means the state will be handing out a maximum of $46 million for the project.[6]
The project is slated to be completed in 2024.[7]
REFERENCES
- ↑ https://www.aps1.net/406/West-Elementary-School
- ↑ Hughes mhughes@eagletribune.com, M. (2021, June 5). Most measures approved at Andover Town Meeting. Eagle-Tribune, The (Lawrence, MA). Available from NewsBank: America's News: https://infoweb.newsbank.com/apps/news/document-view?p=NewsBank&docref=news/182F2F6BDF1E3790.
- ↑ Tauscher | ttauscher@andovertownsman.com, T. (2022, June 6). Construction begins on West Elementary, Shawsheen Preschool project. Andover Townsman (MA). Available from NewsBank: America's News: https://infoweb.newsbank.com/apps/news/document-view?p=NewsBank&docref=news/18A7CB55A2942C40.
- ↑ https://www.aps1.net/DocumentCenter
- ↑ Tauscher | ttauscher@andovertownsman.com, T. (2022, December 2). Special Town meeting approves additional funds for school project. Andover Townsman (MA). Available from NewsBank: America's News: https://infoweb.newsbank.com/apps/news/document-view?p=NewsBank&docref=news/18E38FC36D1AD830.
- ↑ Tauscher | ttauscher@eagletribune.com, T. (2024, March 6). State picks up bigger share of Andover school project. Andover Townsman (MA). Available from NewsBank: America's News: https://infoweb.newsbank.com/apps/news/document-view?p=NewsBank&docref=news/197A1A0F19B58B00.
- ↑ https://www.aps1.net/2208/WESP