City of Cambridge Participatory Budgeting

Committee: Parks, Recreation & Education

Cost: $190,000

Location: CRLS and 3 Upper Schools

Short Description: We need new chairs in CPS schools, specifically the Cambridge Rindge and Latin School (CRLS), Cambridge Street Upper School, Putnam Avenue Upper School, and Rindge Avenue Upper School.

Long description: The current metal chairs in Cambridge public schools are extremely small and uncomfortable. The materials of the chairs break off easily; therefore, they should be replaced with new chairs that have cushioning and armrests, or taller chairs that are made of comfortable materials.

Students sit on chairs approximately 6-7 hours per day; therefore, the chairs would have a huge impact on the student population. For example, they would improve posture and spine support, which assures students more comfort. After sitting on uncomfortable, undersized chairs for many hours, students’ muscles are tight. Better chairs help assist students’ learning because being upright and comfortable increases attention span and alertness. 1,000 chairs would be INCREDIBLE for CRLS because it has a great number of students and 300 chairs per upper school would be beneficial since the chairs haven’t been updated for a while. This proposal assumes a cost of $100 per chair.