Quincy's new special education school is being called a 'game changer.' Here's why

QUINCY − The city's new special education school is almost complete and will receive its first wave of prekindergarten students as early as January, officials said.

"This is unique," Mayor Thomas Koch said about the Dr. Rick DeCristofaro Learning Center on Old Colony Avenue. "It's a message to the city that we care about our kids and understand certain challenges" faced by families with special needs children.

School Superintendent Kevin Mulvey said the new school will be a "game changer" for Quincy families who have to leave the district for specialized services.

A total of 175 Quincy students travel out of district to receive specialized services, though not all of them have autism or conditions accommodated by the DeCristofaro Learning Center, said Assistant Superintendent Erin Perkins. Of these students, 50 will return to Quincy Public Schools thanks to the new facility.

"Now all of our students have the opportunity to become part of their own school community," Mulvey said at an Oct. 2 city council meeting. "This school will allow that. I can’t be more proud of our city leadership."

The pre-K through eighth grade school will serve students in the city's "CARES" program for children with "pervasive developmental disorders including autism spectrum disorders," according to the city's website.

The first wave of students will transfer from the Amelio Della Chiesa Early Childhood Center, city officials said.

A dedication ceremony at the school will honor the new school's namesake, former Quincy School Superintendent Richard DeCristofaro, on Sunday, Oct. 22, at 2 p.m., followed by an open house for prospective students and families at 3 p.m. DeCristofaro is now president of Quincy College.

What's in the new DeCristofaro Learning Center

The 57,000-square-foot, three-story facility has 30 classrooms, each with its own single-occupancy bathroom, Quincy Commissioner of Public Buildings Paul Hines said. It also has a gymnasium, a kitchen, a cafeteria, three elevators, a calming room and several multipurpose and therapy rooms.

In the rear of the building stands a new playground, and the building's exterior has been enlivened with blues, yellows and scenes from nature, Hines said. The same colors and themes are mirrored inside the building, where each "academic neighborhood" is color-coded to help children identify their specific home within the school.

"For the rest of my life, I’ll be appreciative of this opportunity and be proud of what we’ve done," Hines told city councilors.

Describing the school as "the project I'm most proud of in my career," Perkins, who was Quincy's special education director before becoming assistant superintendent, said a lot of time went into even the smallest details.

"We wanted to make sure that the space was able to be a calming situation for our students and our staff," Perkins said.

She described muted colors and dimmer lights in every classroom, in addition to rooms for physical therapy, operational therapy and speech therapy and a sensory room with swings, balls, light tubes and soft furniture.

The school also has a "life skills classroom" on the third floor, which mimics an apartment with a washer, a dryer, a kitchen and other appurtenances of adulthood. The classroom is designed to help older students function as independently as possible, Perkins said.

Built in 1920, the red brick structure housed a Howard Johnson's ice cream, candy and condiments factory from 1938 to 1989.

It became part of Eastern Nazarene College in the 1990s and was purchased by Quincy in 2020 for $6.8 million, according to city records.

Costs, savings and funding sources for the $43 million school

The $43 million school drew on three sources of funding, said Quincy Chief Financial Officer Eric Mason.

He said about $23 million came from Quincy taxpayers, and $20 million came through the federal CARES Act, which helped state and local governments manage the COVID-19 outbreak, and the American Rescue Plan Act, a stimulus bill responding to the economic fallout of the pandemic.

Originally, the scope of the school plan was smaller. In early 2020, city planners envisioned a facility for about 150 students, with much of the building going to administrative office space. Officials said the school can now serve 350 students.

As city and school officials learned that the project qualified for federal money, conversations began about how to use every square foot for the benefit of Quincy's special needs students, Mason said.

"That's what allowed for the inclusive playground," Mason said. "That's what allowed for the hydrotherapy, speech therapy."

Hydrotherapy helps people with impaired mobility to exercise in special water tanks, where the buoyancy reduces stress on the body, Mason said.

Mason, who spent seven years as a speech therapy client, said he has a posterboard of the project in his office from his original presentation to the city council in 2021.

"I kept it around because it's my favorite thing we've ever done," he said.

In addition to the initial $43 million outlay, Mason estimates annual operations and facilities costs at $10 million.

But the school is expected to save Quincy money.

Average annual tuition and transportation bills add up to $120,000 per student sent out of district, which is paid for out of Quincy's school budget. Keeping the 50 students who are expected to return will save about $6 million, Mason said.

Additional savings will come as students no longer need to seek outside services, Mason said. There's also the possibility that nonresidents attracted by what Mason calls "top-tier" facilities will choose Quincy, bringing tuition dollars with them.

City councilors express appreciation and excitement, share personal experiences

The presentation about the school was put on the Oct. 2 meeting's agenda by Ward 1 Councilor Dave McCarthy, whose children have used special education services.

"We're very close to putting another jewel in the city of Quincy," McCarthy said. "My children have gone to the South Shore Collaborative (in Norwell), and I know that the model is so successful for those kids who go down there. It's just going to be a tremendous achievement for Quincy to have this in our backyard."

Councilor-at-Large Nina Liang said her sister grew up with a severe developmental disability.

"It would have been amazing for her to be here in this building," Liang said.

Liang suggested mobilizing the city's language access program and local organizations such as Quincy Asian Resources to ensure "that all families who live here will have access" to expanded services.

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This article originally appeared on The Patriot Ledger: Quincy's new DeCristofaro Learning Center expands special ed services