EB Voters Clear First Hurdle for New Central Elementary School with 2/3 Town Meeting Vote
$125M project heads to Saturday ballot where residents will decide on debt exclusion
EAST BRIDGEWATER - November 10 - East Bridgewater voters overwhelmingly approved a $125.2 million bond authorization for a new Central Elementary School Monday evening, with 289 residents voting in favor to exceed the required two-thirds majority and send the debt exclusion question to Saturday’s ballot, where approval would add about $840 annually to the average homeowner’s tax bill over 30 years while addressing severe infrastructure deficiencies that force teachers to ration electricity and leave some classrooms inaccessible to students with disabilities.
The Full Story
The Special Town Meeting centered on a single article requesting town authorization to borrow $125,227,912 to design, construct, equip and furnish a new Central Elementary School at 107 Central Street. With an anticipated Massachusetts School Building Authority reimbursement of $52,222,362, the town’s share would total $73,055,555. Voters approved the measure with 289 votes in favor, exceeding the required two-thirds majority and sending the debt exclusion question to Saturday’s ballot.
The project represents the culmination of a three-year process that began in 2022 when the district submitted a statement of interest to the MSBA. In October 2023, voters approved $1.5 million for a feasibility study, and the 18-member school building committee has since held numerous meetings and six public forums to develop the proposal.
Under a projected 30-year bond at 4.25% interest, the debt exclusion would increase property taxes by about $840 annually, or $210 quarterly, for the average single-family home. Unlike an override, this tax increase would expire when the bond is repaid and cannot be absorbed into the operating budget. Town Accountant Melanie Dean noted that in fiscal 2031, the majority of high school borrowing will be paid off, removing approximately $420 from annual tax bills.
Central School Principal Kate Byrne delivered a comprehensive assessment of the building’s deficiencies, describing a facility where basic infrastructure failures compromise daily instruction. The school’s electrical system is severely overloaded, forcing teachers to choose between running air conditioning units and powering Chromebooks, interactive panels, and other instructional technology.
“Our teachers have become really good at power sharing and also prioritizing electricity that they choose to use during the school year,” Byrne said, explaining how circuit breakers regularly trip when multiple devices operate simultaneously.
The heating and cooling challenges are equally problematic. Central School operates three incompatible systems: steam heat in the 1951 building, forced hot water in the 1963 addition, and individual electric rooftop units in the 2006 modular classrooms. West-facing classrooms regularly exceed 90 degrees in warm weather, with window air conditioning units barely bringing temperatures down to 84 degrees. The steam heating system runs so hot that upper-floor rooms reach 80 degrees in winter, requiring open windows for ventilation, while forced hot water rooms on the same floor struggle to reach the mid-60s.
The modular units’ heating systems frequently fail in extreme cold, leaving preschool classrooms at 50 degrees and forcing class cancellations. These temporary structures, installed in 2006 with a 15-20 year design life, are approaching the end of their intended service.
Plumbing failures occur regularly. Leaks, clogged drains, and inoperable sinks are commonplace, with many classroom sinks shut off entirely. In August 2022, a ruptured pipe flooded six classrooms two weeks before school started. The building has experienced two major incidents involving collapsed or corroded waste pipes requiring emergency remediation.
The building fails to meet Americans with Disabilities Act standards. A chairlift provides access only from the basement to the main floor, not to the third floor where second-grade classrooms are located. Students requiring mobility assistance often must exit the building and travel around it outdoors in all weather to reach the main floor.
“We had to receive three variances in order to install this lift,” Byrne said. “There have been many times when students who might be in wheelchairs or requiring different types of mobility assistance need to go outside a ramped door, exit the building with support from staff, go around the building to the front of the building to get to the main floor. Whether it’s raining, snowing, 20 degrees, 80 degrees, those types of things have to happen.”
She described parents with physical disabilities unable to attend conferences in their children’s third-floor classrooms, and a student who broke a leg requiring the family to choose between moving the entire class or temporarily reassigning their child to a different classroom.
Architect Gene Raymond from Raymond Design Associates explained that the MSBA required the committee to evaluate multiple options. The first, a base repair bringing the building to current codes without addressing educational needs, would cost $60 million with no MSBA reimbursement and would not replace the modular classrooms or improve classroom sizes or the gymnasium.
The second option, an addition and renovation approach adding approximately 123,000 square feet while renovating the existing building, carried an estimated cost of $150 million with a $58 million MSBA grant, leaving a $91 million town share. The committee found this approach inefficient, as significant existing square footage could not be effectively used to meet modern educational requirements.
The recommended new construction option would demolish the existing building and modulars and construct a new facility pushed back from Central Street to create a longer vehicle queue, reducing traffic congestion during arrival and dismissal. The design includes separate preschool and K-2 playgrounds with accessible parking, a gymnasium large enough for bleachers, and a cafeteria with a stage that opens into the gym for community events. The building would allow community access to the gymnasium and cafetorium while securing academic areas. Two new softball fields would accommodate soccer, field hockey, and lacrosse.
Owner’s Project Manager Matt Gulino outlined the timeline: approximately one year of design work following approval, site preparation beginning in 2026, main construction starting in early 2027, and completion by summer 2028 for a fall 2028 opening. Demolition of the existing school and softball field construction would continue after the new building opens.
Dean described the committee’s cost-reduction efforts. An initial December 2024 design at nearly 123,000 square feet carried an estimated $148 million cost with a $90 million district share. The committee cut over 15,000 square feet by reducing classrooms and creating more flexible spaces, bringing the estimate to $134 million with an $83 million district share. Further refinements to mechanical systems and elimination of design elements including sloped roofs, combined with work from two cost estimators, produced the final $125 million project cost.
Superintendent Gina Williams emphasized the committee’s commitment to fiscal responsibility while meeting educational needs. “We wanted to make sure that we were fiscally responsible in providing an educationally robust program for our students, and we feel that over two years, we have produced that,” she said.
When Moderator Bob Looney opened public comment, Ken MacLeod, a 30-year resident and senior citizen on fixed income, expressed concern about tax impact. Currently paying approximately $9,000 in property taxes, McCloud said approval would push his taxes close to $10,000 before the annual 2.5% levy increase.
“We have some of the highest taxes on the South Shore consistently every single year,” MacLeod said. He advocated for the $60 million renovation despite recent investments including a new heating system and roof, arguing it would save $13 million.
Sam Bourne, a Pond Street resident, challenged the $60 million renovation estimate as fabricated to make new construction appear more attractive. He questioned multiple line items, including $17.7 million for sprinklers and electrical work, $9.6 million for ADA compliance and miscellaneous repairs without detail, $6 million for general conditions, $380,000 for insurance that duplicates existing coverage, and $10 million for general contractor fees.
“You can contact any electrician in this room to give an estimate to rewire, to plumb the existing building, and there’s no way you’re going to add up to $17.7 million,” Bourne argued, drawing applause.
Following the public comment period, the town voted by secret ballot on the motion to appropriate $125,227,912 for the project. The article required a two-thirds majority to pass. Moderator Looney announced the results: 289 residents voted in favor, clearing the supermajority threshold and authorizing the Select Board and Town Treasurer to proceed with borrowing, contingent on the passage of a debt exclusion Saturday.
Why It Matters
Monday’s approval of the bond authorization clears the first hurdle for one of East Bridgewater’s largest capital investments, sending the debt exclusion question to voters Saturday. Current conditions at Central School compromise daily instruction, with teachers rationing electricity between cooling and technology, students with disabilities unable to access classrooms, and infrastructure failures requiring emergency repairs. The $840 annual tax increase for the average home would eventually be partially offset by expiring high school debt. Voters will make the final decision at Gordon W Mitchell School, 435 Central Street, from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Saturday, November 15.
Meeting Minutes
Key Motions & Votes
Motion: To appropriate $125,227,912 for designing, constructing, originally equipping and furnishing a new Central Elementary School at 107 Central Street, funded through borrowing under M.G.L. Chapter 44, with the amount reduced by any MSBA grant received (anticipated at $52,222,362, leaving a district share of $73,055,555), subject to voter approval of a debt exclusion at ballot on Saturday, November 15, 2025. Outcome: Approved. Vote: 289 in favor (exceeding required 2/3 majority).
Public Comment
Ken MacLeod, 30-year resident and senior citizen, opposed the project citing tax burden on fixed-income residents, advocating for the $60 million renovation to save $13 million. Sam Bourne challenged the renovation estimate as inflated, questioning electrical work costs ($17.7 million), ADA compliance ($9.6 million), and contractor fees ($10 million) as designed to favor new construction.
What’s Next
Voters will decide on the debt exclusion Saturday, November 15, 2025, at Gordon W Mitchell School, 435 Central Street, from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Both the town meeting authorization and the ballot approval are required to proceed. If the debt exclusion passes, the project timeline includes one year of design work, site preparation beginning in 2026, main construction starting early 2027, and school opening for the 2028-2029 academic year.