Above: Take advantage of the updated website and/or upcoming public events to learn more about the school building project Southborough voters will be asked to support. (images from website and flyer)
In just over six months, voters will be asked to support the construction of a new school building for 2nd-5th grade. It would be the most expensive building project the Town has ever funded.
In preparation, the Neary Building Committee is ramping up its outreach to voters over the next couple of weeks.
Four upcoming public events will seek to educate residents and answer questions. Plus, the NBC has issued updated FAQs and updated the details on its dedicated website.
Outreach Events
Principal’s Coffee
Friday, November 8, 9:30 -10:30 am
Parents with kids in the Southborough elementary schools have been invited to attend a joint Principal’s Coffee on the topic. The event will be held in the Finn School Cafeteria (60 Richards Road). “This session will cover project developments, timelines, and transition plans.” (I’m assuming this is limited to current students’ parents/caregivers since it takes place while school is in session. Parents can RSVP through their school’s Parent square announcement.)
Building Tour Open Houses
Tuesday, November 12, 6:30 – 8:30 pm and
Saturday, November 16, 10:00 am – 12:00 pm
During non-school hours, the general public is invited to two special open houses to tour the Neary School building. Attendees can “see the existing conditions”. And members of the Neary Building Committee will be there “to answer any questions about the proposed project.”
Presentation at the Senior Center
Monday, November 18, 1:00 pm
This presentation (geared to Southborough seniors) will feature Roger Challen, a member of the Southborough School Committee and the Neary Building Committee. He “will provide an update and answer any questions about the proposed new four grade Neary Elementary School”. (The event is free. But it as part of the Senior Center’s program lineup, it does require registration. Registration already opened for Nov-Dec events on Wednesday.)
High Level Project Overview
For those who haven’t been following the project. . .
Town and School officials have been studying a school building project for years. In August, the Neary Building Committee voted to submit to the state a proposal to tear down the current Neary School building (which houses grades 4 and 5) to build a new, larger, more modern school for grades 2-5.
After assumed grant funding from the state, Southborough’s project share is estimated at $85M. In an FAQ flyer that was in a September newsletter** from the Superintendent, the tax implication was described:
For the average home in Southborough ($900K assessed value), the current estimated tax impact once the full project is fully bonded (FY29) is an increase of $1,207 annually. As a point of comparison, for a $600K assessed value, the current estimated tax impact once the full project is fully bonded (FY29) is an increase of $811 annually. The estimated tax impact is for this project only.
But in the FAQs of the updated Neary Building Project website, the committee is now referring to tax impacts as “To be answered”.
For more details on the project, see the dedicated website with its FAQ section.
Impact to K-5 students and schools during (and after) construction
The construction would take place starting the summer of 2026 with a targeted completion date of August 2028. For the two school years in between, changes would be made in the two lower schools to accommodate:
- Finn School (currently PreK-1st Grade) would add Grade 2
- Woodward School (currently 2nd & 3rd Grade) would house Grades 3-5
Temporary modular classrooms would be added to both of those campuses to make it possible. (Officials discussed mainly using those for specialty classes, like art and music.)
Once the new Neary building opens, Finn School would be closed. Woodward would be used for PreK-1st grade going forward. (There are separate efforts to look at using Finn School for other Town needs, like a community center.)
In addition to improvements to the building and layout, the NSBORO administration has advocated that the project will improve the school system by reducing the number of school transitions for young students.
Again, for more details, including the touted benefits, see the dedicated website and its FAQ section.
When & how will voters decide?
Approval is a multi-step process with a high bar. First, the state (Mass School Building Authority) has to officially approve the grant funding on April 30th. (And if they either reject it or recommend a lower amount than officials are counting on, the whole project could be derailed.)
Southborough’s Special Town Meeting vote is scheduled for Saturday, May 10th, 9:00 am at Algonquin Regional High School. (At this point, the Select Board intends to fully dedicate that meeting to the topic.)* To pass to the next step, the borrowing Article needs 2/3 of votes cast at the meeting.
Next, it would need to pass at the ballot box. Officials plan to include the ballot question in the Town Election that takes place three days later (Tuesday, May 13th). That would be for the proposition 2½ override (approving a “debt exclusion from the tax levy”).
*Town voters may add Citizen Petition Articles to the Warrant even if officials don’t sponsor any.
**The update flyers on the project were included in the Superintendent’s weekly newsletter on September 11th. (Frankly, they were a bit buried and without any fanfare. So, I missed them at the time and I wonder how many other parents did as well.)
