The City of Everett and Everett Public Schools (EPS) are taking the next steps toward addressing one of the most significant challenges facing the school district: overcrowded classrooms and a lack of adequate space for Everett’s growing student population.
Residents are invited to a community meeting on Wednesday, Sept. 30, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at the Parlin School, 587 Broadway, where City and school officials will present potential solutions for overcrowding in Everett’s kindergarten through eighth-grade schools. Residents will have an opportunity to hear about the options being considered, ask questions and provide feedback as the City works toward a long-term solution.
Everett’s schools have faced significant space challenges for years. Classrooms and other areas originally designed for different purposes have been converted to accommodate students as enrollment needs have outgrown available educational space.
“I’ve seen kids learning on top of and under stairwells. I’ve seen locker rooms and storage spaces converted into classrooms. That is unacceptable. Some of our schools are feeling this more than others, but the reality is we have a serious space problem that we cannot continue to put off,” said Mayor Robert J. Van Campen. “The decisions we make now will help determine how the next generation of Everett students learns. We have been studying this problem, looking carefully at our options and developing plans that we believe can meaningfully address the crisis in front of us. Now we need the community to be part of that conversation.”
The Sept. 30 meeting will focus specifically on kindergarten through eighth-grade overcrowding and options for creating new middle school space. Overcrowding at Everett High School remains a separate priority and will be addressed through its own planning process.
“This is about our students,” said Superintendent William D. Hart. “They deserve classrooms and school buildings that give them the space and environment they need to learn, grow and succeed. I’m excited that this process is moving forward, and it’s important that our families and residents have a voice as we consider what the future of Everett’s educational facilities should look like.”
While planning for long-term solutions continues, the City has also been investing in existing properties that could play a role in Everett’s future.
The City has used millions of dollars of ARPA grant funding to stabilize and preserve the former Everett High School, an approximately 350,000-square-foot public asset in a central location. The building’s roof was replaced last summer, environmental remediation is nearly complete, and design work is underway for new heating and cooling equipment. Together, these improvements will help prepare the property for future use.
The City is also using grant funds to remediate the former Pope John XXIII High School property, another building that could provide additional flexibility as officials evaluate Everett’s long-term educational needs. Design work is underway to replace the roofs over both sections of the 160,000-square-foot building.
“Preserving buildings like the former Everett High School and Pope John gives us options,” said Mayor Van Campen. “The former high school alone gives us roughly 350,000 square feet in a central location. As community conversations unfold about the best path forward, we want assets like these available as part of the decision-making process rather than allowing them to deteriorate while we debate the future.”
The work builds on the administration’s commitment earlier this year to move the school planning process forward quickly while ensuring major investments are made carefully and responsibly.
The Sept. 30 community meeting is intended to bring that work directly to residents. City and EPS officials will walk attendees through the challenges facing the district, potential solutions and the considerations involved in each option before hearing questions and feedback from the community.
Community Meeting
Wednesday, Sept. 30
6:30–8:30 p.m.
Parlin School, 587 Broadway, Everett
Residents, parents, educators and members of the Everett community are encouraged to attend.