By Jack Nicas

A fire destroyed the East Somerville Community School in December, displacing the school’s 585 students and 115 staff members. Now, over six months later, those students and staff wrap up their tumultuous semester with another year of new locations and makeshift classrooms in front of them.

Somerville Public School Superintendent Tony Pierantozzi addressed East Somerville parents Wednesday, June 11, at the Capuano Early Childhood Center, where ESCS kindergartners now attend.

He opened the meeting impressed with the students’ quick adjustment. ‚ÄúThe kids adapted 15 times faster than any adult and were able to make enjoyable what we all get stressed about,‚Äù he said.

Some students will have to adjust again, as Pierantozzi announced new moves for the 2008-2009 school year. Half of the school’s fifth-grade class, those not in the Unidos bilingual program, will join the rest of their classmates at the Cummings School, after spending last semester at the Edgerly Education Center.

Pierantozzi said, “We needed more space at Edgerly; we had teachers in very small rooms and support teachers in places that were inadequate, such as closets.”

In order to facilitate the move, the early childhood programs at Cummings will be given space at the Argenziano School, he said.

Also moving to the Argenziano School will be the ESCS self-contained special education class, consisting of fourth, fifth, and sixth-graders. Pierantozzi said, ‚ÄúThe law tells us we can’t functionally separate those kids from their classmates all the time, we have to immerse them. They need to go to lunch and art with kids their own age because their learning disability does not always extend into those areas.‚Äù

Because East Somerville Community School first through fourth-graders will now be at Edgerly and the fifth through eighth-graders will be at Cummings, Argenziano was one of the few options containing the three grades represented in the special education class, he said. “It was really the closest and best space qualitatively.”

Growing enrollment numbers makes the task of accommodating all of the ESCS students even harder. Principal Holly Hatcher said, ‚ÄúWe have students on the waiting list for the first-grade Unidos program and have larger standard first-grade classes than we had last year. It looks to me like we’re actually getting students.‚Äù

As for the damaged building, Pierantozzi said a task force has been meeting every week since Dec. 9 to discuss its long-term status. The meetings are not open to the public and consist of the school’s insurance company, Liberty Mutual, its attorneys, the city, the school district and engineers.

According to Pierantozzi, the current course of action stands at a selective demolition, dictated by Liberty Mutual. ‚ÄúThat wasn’t our first instinct,‚Äù he said, ‚Äúbut this is how Liberty Mutual wants to progress and we are bound by contract to follow their advice if they’re going to pay for it.‚Äù

The construction would begin in August and target only the wing of the building affected by the fire. Pierantozzi said the entire school would receive new ceilings, light fixtures, and sprinkler systems.

At the meeting parents were upset with the closed task force meetings and felt shut out of the conversation. ‚ÄúWhen will the little people have a say in what’s happening?‚Äù said Henry McNabb, an ESCS parent.

Maureen Bastardi, Ward 1 School Committee member, attempted to ease the parents’ concerns by offering to set up an email list for periodic updates on the issue.

Pierantozzi assured them that he, the mayor, the School Committee, and Board of Aldermen “are committed to the community of East Somerville to not have a bifurcated building.” Any upgrades implemented in the new wing would be school wide as well.

Tempers then flared when two parents debated the need for an entirely new building.

Pierantozzi settled the issue by noting that if a new building were to be made, it would be almost entirely funded by the city.

According to him, the Massachusetts School Building Authority, a central fund for the rebuilding of ECSC, will not finance things such as auditoriums, while Liberty Mutual would only underwrite damages stemming from the fire. “A new building would be two-thirds the size of our current one,” he said.

With a new building probably not in the works, parents will be heard following the completion of the selective demolition. Pierantozzi said that he would reopen the discussion to an advisory committee in January or February.