By Nate Jones

Staff Writer 

In October, 16 members of a commission on public secondary schools visiting committee spent four days in the halls of South Portland High School. Their goal, according to a final report released earlier this month, was to determine whether or not the school meets the commission’s standards for accreditation.

There are 17 recommendations included in the final report, all of which focus on “resolving the significant number of building and facility issues” at the high school. South Portland School Board and Secondary Schools Facility Committee member Rick Carter said the report could breathe new life into a proposal for a new or renovated high school, more than a year after voters rejected a $56 million bond intended for the same purpose.

“When the $56 million [referendum question] went out, accreditation was discussed, but there was really nothing for us to wrap our hands around. We whispered about it,” Carter said. “The need for repairs, renovation or a new building is clearly now part of the report. We’re talking the possibility of [losing] accreditation.”

The report commends the school for its “positive and safe learning environment,” but refers to several structural problems as “significantly limiting factors” that have not yet “dramatically shifted the learning environment,” but could cost the school its state accreditation – making a South Portland high school diploma just another piece of paper.

“The poor electrical capacity, heating, and ventilation problems and sound distractions, all related to the deterioration of the building over time, prohibit teachers from utilizing the technology and innovations that would ensure that effective instructional practices are employed in all classes,” the report reads. “This is clearly a mission-driven school within the limits of the inadequate facility.”

Superintendent Suzanne Godin said some of the recommendations in the report – including a $1.3 million security system, repairing a crack that separates one classroom from the rest of the building and replacing sodden ceiling tiles – are not financially feasible.

“These are parts of the building that are not worth doing this to,” she said. “The reality is we’re putting Band Aids on the high school, we need surgery.”

Godin said she has already been instructed by the school board to include an additional $539,000 in her budget proposal for the 2009/2010 school year. The money is to be used exclusively for repairs and maintenance, per a one, three and five-year maintenance plan previously approved by the school board and could be used to match federal stimulus money, she said. 

“We’ve heard we could be eligible for $539,000 from the stimulus if we can match the funding,” Carter said. “Whether or not that money was still in the stimulus bill that passed, we don’t know. I don’t think the Senate even knows yet. If we get the matching funds, great, if not, we’ll use it for our maintenance plan.”

In addition to the $539,000, Godin and Carter said the school board is expected to meet with the city council on Feb. 23 to discuss a bond for additional maintenance, a possibility Mayor Tom Blake said depends on multiple factors. 

“What does [the report] mean in relation to education? What happens if we don’t fix [the recommended issues]? How serious are these violations?” he asked. “There is an amount people will pay and every week that goes by that number is getting smaller. We have to see what the stimulus package might do and maybe start a capital campaign. [Feb. 23] will be a very interesting meeting.”

Godin said the final ruling on the school’s accreditation would be considered by the commission this spring.