Building a Brighter Future for Southborough

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Submit a letter to mysouthborough.com or prepare a brief comment to share at the meeting. Personal stories about why this school matters help persuade undecided voters.

 

Together, we can ensure our children and educators have the safe, modern, and inspiring school environment they deserve.

School Committee Recommendation

The School Committee has reviewed each proposal and voted unanimously to support Articles 1 and 4.

Article 1 requests $175,000 for feasibility and design work focused on Neary
Elementary School. The study would return to Town Meeting within six to nine months with several options: basic code-compliance upgrades, a full renovation, and a full renovation with enhancements to support educational programming. Voters would make the final decision on any project, which would require a two-thirds Town Meeting vote and a majority ballot vote.

 

While the article references a $15 million target for basic upgrades, the School Committee is seeking professional cost estimates and acknowledges that expenses could exceed that amount. If a future project is approved, the current grade configuration would remain unchanged. The School Committee unanimously supports Article 1 as its preferred path.

 

Article 4 requests $6.85 million to address immediate needs at Neary Elementary School. This includes $4.5 million to replace the failed roof, $2.1 million for ADA compliance upgrades, and funding to determine additional code-compliance costs. If Article 1 passes, Article 4 would be reduced to $4.5 million to cover only the roof replacement. A recent evaluation found that Neary’s roof is in complete failure: Approximately 30 percent has detached, sections are being lifted by wind, and water is pooling and leaking into the building. Temporary measures are in place to get through the school year, but experts recommend full roof replacement by summer 2026 due to safety risks. ADA upgrades will be triggered if the roof project exceeds 30 percent of the building’s assessed value; if a full renovation is later approved, those upgrades would be incorporated into that project. The School Committee unanimously supports Article 4.