Council Questions School Renovations

The Cambridge City Council last night sent a not-so-subtle message to the city's School Committee that if it wants financil approval for its plans to renovate schools in East Cambridge, it must first decide to refurbish the Haggerty school as well.

The council postponed for a week a vote on the school committee's request for funding of the $10-million project to reconstruct the Kennedy and Roberts schools on the motion of Councilor Leonard J. Russell.

"I just want the school committee to go back and restudy their proposal." Russell said, adding. "If they don't they're not going to have the votes."

William Lannon, superintendant of schools told the council that he would not recommend including the Haggerty school, which is located near Fresh Pond, in the project.

"My recommendation to close the Haggerty School was not influenced by Proposition 2 1/2 as a lot of people seem to think." Lannon said, adding that it is financially unsound to keep the school open for only 140 students.

The school committee decided this week to keep the Haggerty school open for at lest one year.

Renovation of the Haggerty school would cost at least $4.2 million, bringing the total amount needed to $14.2 million, school department officials said.

School officials added that they would have to reduce expenditures from their general appropriations fund in order to pay for just the Kennedy and Roberts improvements.

"You're not even going to have a school system by the time you finish building because of Proposition 2 1/2," Councilor Alfred E. Velluci said, requesting Lannon to draw up alternate plans for housing the Kennedy and Roberts school children in case the city is unable to obtain the necessary funds through bonding.