School Building Committee finalized

With the 270-day clock ticking and its final member appointed, the School Building Committee’s work to explore the Middle School and High School building project is underway.

While the committee’s composition was decided several months ago, its work began in mid-March when members met for the first time, ahead of April 1, when the Massachusetts School Building Authority’s (MSBA) 270-day eligibility period officially started. The eligibility period concludes on Dec. 28, and the School Building Committee, as well as the town, will need to complete eight steps, including authorizing funding for a feasibility study, to remain in the MSBA’s project pipeline.

The School Committee is exploring potential renovations or construction on the Middle and High School campus to address outdated systems and prepare for projected enrollment increases. The MSBA in December invited Weston into its eligibility period, which sets a timeline for completing preliminary requirements, assesses financial and community readiness and develops key considerations for planning and budgeting.

Weston already completed the first step of submitting an initial compliance certification several months ago. The Building Committee submitted its membership makeup at its April 16 meeting, where a 4-1 vote appointed Phil Memmott as the committee’s at-large member. Four residents – Memmott, Teddy Bascom, Zach Liu and Paul Vittozzi – applied for the position, and they were interviewed on April 2. Memmott, senior director of capital programs at Harvard Business School, was ultimately selected.

“They all have great qualifications. We would be well-served by any of these four,” Building Committee Chair Ken Newberg said, inviting Bascom, Liu and Vittozzi, along with other interested residents, to stay involved in the process as it progresses.

The voting members of the committee are School Committee members Newberg and Jane Li, Select Board Chair Lise Revers, Permanent Building Committee member Dan Colli, Finance Committee member Maija Cirulis-Gooch, Sustainability Committee member Rose Li and Memmott.

The committee’s makeup may expand in the future; the expanded five-member Select Board, which will be in place following the May 2 annual town election, may want another Select Board representative on board. If that happens, committee members said they would explore adding an additional at-large member to keep committee membership at an odd number.

Non-voting members include Superintendent Karen Zaleski, Weston Public Schools’ Director of Finance David Coelho, Town Manager Leon Gaumond, Town Director of Finance Susan Kelley, Director of Facilities John Marzec, High School Principal Sue Bairstow and Middle School Principal Phil Oates.

With the initial compliance certification and committee makeup submitted, the next two steps are filling out an educational profile questionnaire and submitting enrollment projections by June 30. The Building Committee is expected to vote on the questionnaire May 7 and will present enrollment projections on May 21.

Being enrolled in the eligibility period does not guarantee any funding, nor does it require Weston to go forward with the campus project. Cost estimates presented in late 2025 range from $172 million to $441 million for the six options laid out in the School Committee’s feasibility study. The MSBA-eligible option is estimated at $329 million and would create two connected schools on the east side of the campus, but that concept could change based on state input.