Weston invited into MSBA eligibility period

The Massachusetts School Building Authority’s (MSBA) board of directors met Friday morning and invited Weston to take the first procedural steps to seek state funding for the middle and high school campus construction project.

The invitation does not guarantee any funding, nor does it require Weston to go forward with the campus project. Instead, it begins the state’s process of examining whether the town is ready to manage and fund the project. 

Weston is one of 15 communities invited to participate in the eligibility period this year out of 27 districts and towns that submitted statements of interest.

Over the last several years, the School Committee has examined potential renovations or construction on the middle and high school campus to address outdated systems and prepare for projected enrollment increases. 

Cost estimates range from $172 million to $441 million for the six potential options put forward by the School Committee’s feasibility study, which can be viewed on the district’s website. 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 input the town may receive from the state.

School Committee member Ken Newberg and Rep. Alice Peisch, D-Wellesley, thanked the MSBA’s board of directors for providing the opportunity to move forward in the building project process. Newberg, who has led the project for the School Committee, said this is a “potentially transformative opportunity for thousands of students.”

“The life of our buildings has been extended by expert maintenance, but now we are on borrowed time,” Newberg said, crediting former Facilities Director Gary Jarobski for keeping the buildings in shape.

Newberg added this is a chance to create an “inspirational facility that reflects our values of inclusivity, creativity, academic excellence” and commitment to the environment.

To move forward with the MSBA’s process, the town must send an initial compliance certification, form a school building committee, complete an educational profile questionnaire, summarize maintenance and capital planning documents and receive local authorization for funding a feasibility study.

Weston got a jump on the process on Dec. 2, when the Select Board approved the initial compliance certification at Newberg’s request.

If Weston moves forward with the MSBA, it will need to be invited into the feasibility study period, which will require the town to redo its school campus feasibility study that was completed earlier this year.

Residents are expected to consider funding for the feasibility study sometime within the MSBA’s 270-day deadline, but a timeline has yet to be established. One option is spring Town Meeting, which is expected to address the fire station building project, or an early fall Special Town Meeting.

Weston’s 270-day deadline is expected to begin on April 1, meaning the town’s deadline to secure funding is Dec. 28, 2026.