At Wareham High School, paint is chipping and peeling away from the walls in hallways and classrooms just recently repainted. Ceiling tiles replaced over the holiday break are giving way to water again, with several others bowing, browning, and in desperate need of attention. Plastic buckets and garbage pails are sporadicly scattered throughout the building, catching rain from a recent spring storm.

The building is in dire need of a new roof, and the man in charge of it (among countless others, including the faculty, staff, and students) hopes to get some relief for the ailing roof by way of Article 13, which is be voted upon at Town Meeting on April 28.

“I don’t think people realize how bad a shape the school is in,” said High School Principal Scott Palladino, who said if all goes according to plan, they’ll be able to secure a maximum $2.7 million to replace the roof, 68 percent (about $1.8 million) of which will be reimbursed by the Massachusetts School Building Authority after they made Wareham High one of six schools in the state’s “accelerated repair program” due to the worsening condition of the building.

Over the course of the past few years, Palladino said that members of his staff have placed thousands of patches on the ballasted roof, which is covered with rocks and pavers over a rubber membrane, making it difficult to spot and patch the leaks.

“We’re putting good money into a bad roof,” he said. “It’s like trying to patch the Titanic.”

Last winter, a new roof was placed over the high school gym after the voters approved $110,000 in funding at 2012 fall Town Meeting. Due to the leaks, several indoor sporting events as well as gym classes were “rained out,” prompting students to petition the town for help, which they received.

Now, the high school, which opened in 1991, needs even more help.

The library, one of the rooms most-affected by the leaky roof, loses “thousands of dollars in books every year,” according to Palladino, not to mention the structural damage to the room. The cafeteria is almost as bad, as well as the front foyer, hallway areas, areas under several of the school’s skylights, and dozens of classrooms both on the first and second floors of the school. A photograph featuring the 2009-10 boy's state championship basketball team was even ruined by the leaks.

“It’s everywhere,” said Palladino, who added that he is also worried about hidden damage within the walls and the potential for mold to form from the wet conditions. “You can see what the moisture has done. It’s a futile effort just trying to keep things OK.”

“If things go well at Town Meeting, we will be able to replace the roof," Palladino said.

If approved, the work would take place at the end of the summer/early fall, according to Palladino.

“We’re hoping that Monday night, everything works out for the kids,” he said.