(This story is part of a nationwide Patch series probing the economy's effect on local schools. With ground set to be broken Wednesday on the new Tewksbury High School, we felt it was appropriate to get a student perspective on a project that will be the largest investment in the history of the school district.) By Victoria Aronson As students walk through the crumbling hallways of Tewksbury Memorial High School, they may stop and view a slide show of the designs for the new school, which in a cruel twist of fate, most upperclassmen will never have the opportunity to attend. Yet, a prevalent …

(This story is part of a nationwide Patch series probing the economy's effect on local schools.) Back in May, in a speech at Lesley College, Secretary of Education Arne Duncan painted a bleak picture of the future of education, predicting as many as 4,000 teachers in Massachusetts and 300,000 across the country would likely lose their jobs if Congress did not approve additional aid to cities and towns. The subsequent funding passed by Congress has helped to blunt the crisis somewhat. However, communities such as Peabody, Beverly, Haverhill, Lawrence and Lowell have faced significant layoffs …