Lewiston School Committee reviews $3.9 million FY26 capital plan, budget pressures

The Lewiston School Committee on March 17 reviewed proposed Fiscal Year 2026 capital-improvement requests totaling $3.9 million and a proposed operating budget that would raise local spending 3.44 percent to $117,177,091, while committee members discussed growing enrollment, aging roofs, safety upgrades and cuts to a USDA local-purchasing program.

The capital requests — presented as the district’s FY26 LCIP (Local Capital Improvement Plan) package — cover educational space and building stabilization at 287 Main Street, roof work at Lewiston High School and Lewiston Middle School, ADA and sidewalk work, windows and doors, bathroom redesigns for student supervision, replacement of 25 school‑zone lights and other site improvements. Superintendent Jake Langley said the LCIP requests were driven by the district’s strategic plan and a 10‑year facilities priority list from the state. “It drives our LCIP projects by ensuring we have the resources to ensure a safe and conducive learning environment,” Langley said.

Why it matters

The requests respond to immediate life‑safety and capacity pressures and could affect where students and district programs are housed as enrollment grows. Committee members pressed staff for cost details, timing and the limits of local authority for some site work that overlaps city responsibilities.

Key items and details

- 287 Main Street: The district is proposing up to $1 million in FY26 to stabilize the 50,000‑square‑foot, four‑story building and to begin concept planning for possible educational and program uses. Superintendent Jake Langley said the building is paid for in full and was purchased with unspent prior‑year funds. “That building was purchased with unspent funds from the prior year. That building is paid for in full,” Langley said. He and staff said they will continue seeking state renovation funding.

- Total FY26 LCIP requests: The list presented to the committee sums to $3,900,000, including the joint city/school projects that will be cost‑shared with municipal departments.

- Montello fire alarm: The district plans to fund engineering and bid documents in FY26 (about $20,000) and anticipates a FY27 construction ask for the full replacement of the fire alarm system; staff provided a rough budgetary estimate of about $350,000 for that FY27 replacement.

- Roofs: Lewiston High School’s roof (about 130,000 square feet) passed a moisture nuclear scan with no wet insulation found, giving the district flexibility on timing. Lewiston Middle School’s roof includes EPDM rubber areas in need of replacement and roughly 20,000 square feet of slate that may require structural or code‑related upgrades, staff said. The district is completing further testing and an engineering analysis.

- ADA/site work and windows/doors: Recent facility assessments flagged ADA compliance work (sidewalks, curbing and entrance slopes) at Montello and LMS, plus aged windows and doors at Longley, Montello and other buildings. The district has submitted applications to the state construction school list (a four‑year cycle) but staff cautioned that more than 90 other schools applied and Lewiston is not expected to be among the top selections.

- District bathrooms and student safety: The LCIP includes design and engineering funds to redesign some student bathrooms (particularly at LMS, Montello and McMahon) to improve supervision and safety; staff cited design used in the district’s newest school as an example.

- School‑zone lights: The LCIP request includes $250,000 to replace 25 failing school‑zone lights (roughly $10,000 per unit). The proposal staggers replacements over five years so functioning units can supply spare parts for others, the facilities team said. The committee discussed whether replacing all failing lights at once would better protect pedestrian safety.

- Franklin Pasture tennis courts and fence: Design and engineering work has been completed for the tennis‑court reconstruction; fence repairs and damage costs would be handled through city channels with the school billed for school‑related costs.

Budget context and fiscal risks

The district’s proposed operating budget is $117,177,091, a 3.44 percent local increase that staff said was intended to remain under a community target of 4 percent. Staff warned of two fiscal uncertainties that could change the local ask: health insurance premium increases (staff noted a range that could be as high as 17.89 percent) and the status of some federal programs. The superintendent said the district currently counts more than 30 positions supported by federal funds and that a loss of federal funding could force those positions to end if alternatives are not secured.

Nutrition and local purchasing

Staff told the committee that roughly $125,000 in USDA funding that had supported purchases from local farms and producers was curtailed. The district’s nutrition director has been exploring options to reduce the fiscal impact while maintaining student meals, but staff warned the change will likely hit local producers first. “We purchased things from local providers,” Superintendent Jake Langley said in the discussion about the funding cut.

Enrollment and space planning

District leaders said recent efforts to bring students back to Lewiston from out‑of‑district placements have generated about $2 million in increased tuition reimbursement and that ongoing housing development could keep pushing enrollment upward. Staff described multiple space‑planning ideas, including using portions of 287 Main Street for specialty programs, daycare for staff, teacher‑training partnership space or office and meeting rooms; they cautioned that a concept plan and facilities cleanup are needed before firm capacity estimates can be provided. “It is 50,000 square feet. It’s four floors,” Langley said when asked about baseline capacity for 287 Main Street.

Public comments and alternatives

A public commenter, AJ Sonnier of Monmouth, urged the committee to consider outdoor and hands‑on learning partnerships that could produce food for cafeterias and reduce some local purchasing pressure. “Some of the students in my classrooms are using hydroponics towers to get some lettuce onto the salad bar,” Sonnier said.

Decisions and next steps

No formal LCIP projects were approved during the meeting. Committee members asked staff to provide additional cost breakdowns, engineering assessments and timing details; staff said some FY26 design funds are proposed and that several FY27 construction asks (for example, Montello’s fire alarm) will follow.

Votes at the end of the meeting included a routine motion to adjourn; the motion was seconded and carried by voice vote (tally not specified).

Ending

Staff indicated they will return with more detailed estimates and engineering reports on roofs, the Montello fire alarm and the 287 Main concept plan. Committee members signaled interest in pursuing projects that preserve capacity and address life‑safety needs while keeping the local tax increase near the 4 percent community target.