McDonough renovation moves ahead; state funding would cover about 81% if grant awarded, district used referendum and carryover funds for Kegwin move

District officials told the budget committee Sept. 15 that the application for the McDonough School renovation is due Sept. 30 and that current funding language would yield a substantial state reimbursement if the project is approved. Finance Director Natalie Forbes said the state share for 2025 is 66.07 percent and that an additional 15 percentage points were obtained in legislative language secured by Sen. Dudley (Senator Lesser), yielding a combined potential reimbursement of 81.07 percent. Forbes said the recent move of McDonough students and materials to the Kegwin School was largely covered by referendum funds for packing, transporting and unpacking and by board carryover funds for smaller items that needed to be addressed before occupancy. She said the district’s IT and facilities staff mapped classroom drops and installed Promethean-board hookups and that the director of facilities oversaw the move with teacher and administrator coordination. The nut graf: the combination of referendum funding, available carryover, and the expected state reimbursement rate are central to the district’s plan for the McDonough renovation and its short-term accommodation at Kegwin. Forbes characterized the move costs as part of the broader McDonough renovation/expansion project and said the district worked with architects and the state to compile application documents. She said the district is making good progress toward the Sept. 30 submission. Committee members asked about costs and which items the referendum covered. Forbes said referendum funds paid primarily for packing and transporting McDonough contents to Kegwin; other small items and some IT work were supported by carryover funds and district operating funds. The district did not present a single consolidated cost total for the move during the meeting. For now, Forbes said Kegwin has 16 classrooms total and the district is using four to house McDonough students; when the McDonough renovation is complete and students move back, the district plans to expand Legacy Academy and other programs into freed space. No formal votes were recorded on the renovation application during the Sept. 15 committee meeting.