There’s a little bit of everything happening in the Marblehead High School culinary classroom: students cooking, experimenting, competing in “Chopped”-style challenges and, around the holidays, baking treats for the staff.
Soon, they’ll have some new equipment to work with, too.
With students back in class this week , Marblehead Public Schools is awaiting about $65,000 in state Fair Share supplemental funding, announced earlier this year, to help fund vital upgrades to some classrooms and buses.
The money, generated through the Fair Share surtax on annual personal income over $1 million, will help pay for new culinary equipment, music supplies and bus cameras — providing a timely boost for projects that could be difficult to tackle in a year when the district has already made significant cuts.
Julia Ferreira, assistant superintendent of teaching and learning, said the funding offers the district an opportunity to address larger needs without placing them on an already-stretched operating budget.
“We had a reduced budget this year. We had to make reductions,” she said. “To have these funds to support these larger projects that we need … just to have this money to actually upgrade our whole system is a real gift for us.”
A bigger, better kitchen
More than 220 high school students use the culinary classroom each year across the culinary arts and chemistry of cooking courses, according to Ferreira. With the programs among the district’s most popular electives, roughly $16,000 of the funding will go toward refurbishing the well-used kitchen.
“Every section of that class is pretty much full,” Ferreira said. “So the use of the stoves, the supplies, it’s heavier than it’s ever been, and it’s time to upgrade those.”
The classroom currently uses a combination of gas and electric appliances, making updated equipment particularly important as more students spend time cooking in the space.
“Anytime we have gas and electric appliances with students using them, we want to make sure that they’re up to date and they’re safe,” Ferreira said.
The district also hopes to purchase larger bowls, mixing tools and other equipment that can better accommodate larger groups.
Officials hope to make the culinary upgrades during a school break, so the popular classes are not interrupted.
New gear for music department
Of the remaining $25,000 in academic-program funding, approximately $8,900 will go toward new instruments, music supplies and other larger purchases for students at the Village School and Veterans Middle School.
The district estimates about 110 students will benefit from the new supplies.
Ferreira said the music order has already been prepared and will be submitted as soon as the funding arrives.
The district has not yet received the money, meaning neither the music nor culinary purchases will be in place when students return to school next week. Officials have been notified that the funding is being processed and are waiting for it to arrive before entering into purchase agreements.
A safer ride to school
The largest share of the grant — $40,000 — is earmarked for upgraded camera systems throughout the district’s transportation fleet, with the goal of strengthening student safety.
MPS currently operates four large school buses, two small buses and one electric van.
Together, the vehicles transport more than 235 students to and from school each day, in addition to hundreds more for athletic events and class field trips throughout the year.
The cameras are intended primarily as another layer of student safety. If an incident occurs on a bus, administrators will be able to review the footage, similar to the way cameras are used inside school buildings, according to Ferreira.
“Just administrators, it’s very secure, it’s just us looking at it,” Ferreira said.
The cameras have not yet been purchased and the district currently does not have a firm timeline for their installation.
Ferreira said Mike Pfifferling, assistant superintendent of finance and operations, will oversee the process and is committed to making progress before his departure from the district.
Boost from the state
The funding opportunity came through the district’s relationship with state Rep. Jenny Armini and state Sen. Brendan Crighton, whom Ferreira credited as strong supporters of Marblehead schools.
“When the opportunity came up that we were able to submit requests … for the supplemental funding, that’s when Rep. Armini reached out and started that process for us, and was just so tremendously helpful,” she said.
At a May 1 School Committee meeting, Superintendent John Robidoux said some of the items the district sought funding for were “wants and needs,” while others involved safety concerns.
He said the additional funding could also allow the district to move forward on purchases it might otherwise have had to wait to make.
“A lot of times it’s like we have a lot of waiting to do … to buy the stuff,” Robidoux said.
“So, this is really cool that we’re able to get this funding so we don’t have to necessarily worry about that.”
In a June 12 press release about the Fair Share funding package, Crighton said the funding would support “critical investments in our transportation and education systems.”
For Ferreira, the relationship with Marblehead’s state delegation is something the district hopes to continue building on.
“We just feel really supported by our local reps … and we’re just really grateful,” she said. “We’re looking forward to continuing that and putting in future requests as well.”
