The New England Association of Schools and Colleges is expected to act on an accreditation report of Pelham High School within the next few weeks.

According to a preliminary report, the condition of the high school building is inadequate, which could cause the NEASC to put the school on accreditation probation or issue a warning.

“Clearly, the issue is facilities,” said Superintendent Frank Bass, adding most Pelham residents are well aware the building is insufficient. “The problem is this is a tough economic time to look at expansion and refurbishing the building.”

The NEASC’s Commission on Public Secondary Schools completed their report on PHS’s adherence to technical and learning standards as well as support standards for accreditation, which takes place every 10 years, Bass said.

A 15-member team visited the school for four days, from April 6 to 9, to evaluate programming, curriculum, the building, professional development and assessment among various other points of interest in the accreditation process.

The team reviewed a self-study conducted by school administrators, parents, students, teachers and support staff between September 2006 and February 2008. This is the first step in the accreditation process for every school in all New England states under the NEASC.

The commission’s report, posted on Pelham High’s Web site, outlines its findings and recommendations. Instruction, curriculum and ingenuity in teaching methods are among the things the commission praised in the report. However, the visiting team said the shape of the current high school building is inhibiting student learning, as well as low staffing numbers and inadequate supply levels.

“Students at Pelham High School have the opportunity to extend their learning beyond both the normal course offerings and the school campus. Technology equipment and some school resources are sufficient to allow for the implementation of the curriculum; however, adequate classroom space, instructional materials, technology education, classroom supplies, other learning facilities, and staffing levels are insufficient and hinder the implementation of the curriculum,” the Commission on Public Secondary Schools wrote in its report.

The report goes on to praise the school for clearly outlining learning expectations and ensuring students know what those expectations are The commission also applauded teachers, calling them “expert” in their subject matter, for making due with the facilities, having too many students and keeping students engaged in learning despite disruptions from neighboring classrooms and students walking through their classes to get to others.

The building condition and overpopulation of the school “limits effective instruction with constant disruptions from students needing to access classrooms or special education rooms by walking through adjoining classrooms, by noise from classroom discussions and instruction as many classroom walls or partitions go only part way to the ceiling, loud ventilation systems, science labs with small moveable tables with computers on them and limited, if any, access to gas and water, and insufficient electrical outlets,” the report said.

“Pelham High School teachers overcome many challenges presented by the physical environment to effectively employ creative instructional strategies and maintain student engagement,” the commission added.

The report also points out the school was built to accommodate 563 students, and the current enrollment is 705. While the school district has installed portable classrooms to alleviate some of the space issues, the commission said in its report the portables are not properly equipped and supplied.

The portables have also not addressed the structural and space issues still in the school building itself, particularly with the dining area.

“With the increased enrollment, there has been a stronger impact on school environmental issues such as hallway overcrowding, undersized lockers, noise, and the need to monitor air quality and ventilation,” the report said.

The report also pointed out the failure of a bond article at the polls in March that would have allowed the district to build a new high school, saying that plan would have rectified many of the school’s deficiencies.

“An immediate, comprehensive, long-range, facility and capital improvement plan is necessary to ensure that the building supports all aspects of the educational program. By developing and seeking funding for a long-range, comprehensive, facility and capital improvement plan, the Pelham community will be prepared to improve the school facility so that all of the educational needs of the students are met in the short and long-term future,” the report said.

Pelham High School Principal Dorothy Mohr said school administrators were not shocked by the visiting team’s findings on the school facility, as these were issues outlined in their 18-month self-study, the report of which the visiting committee reviewed.

“We certainly knew the issues on our facility, although they hit our facility harder than we had,” said Mohr.

Bass said the school district has two years to submit a time line and plans for what they plan to do to comply with the commission’s 32 recommendations. After that, the commission will send their comments on the plans back to the school district to be acted upon.