AMHERST — While only Fort River Elementary School has been accepted into the eligibility period for the Massachusetts School Building Authority, Amherst school officials are committed to making sure the needs of Wildwood Elementary School’s teachers, staff and students are addressed in any building project completed between fall 2025 and 2027.

Superintendent Michael Morris told the Amherst School Committee earlier in December that with acceptance by the MSBA to study building a new school or renovating an existing building to house 600 students at the Fort River School site on South East Street, he wants to make sure that all elementary schools in Amherst are fully handicapped accessible and that problems, such as the open classroom model and lack of natural light, are fixed.

“I think ethically waiting 10 to 15 years is not an option, from my perspective,” Morris said about the possibility of deferring work at Wildwood.