Pembroke committee approves placeholder article to pursue membership in South Shore Technical High School

The Pembroke School Committee on May 6 voted unanimously to place a placeholder article on the fall 2025 town meeting warrant asking voters whether Pembroke should accept provisions of chapter 71, sections 16 to 16I, to join the South Shore Technical regional school district.

The placeholder would allow Pembroke voters this fall to decide whether to seek membership in the regional district; if Pembroke voters approve membership, seven of the nine existing member towns must also vote to admit Pembroke. The placeholder also signals the town would ask voters to approve a debt-exclusion override for Pembroke’s share of construction debt related to the Massachusetts School Building Authority project, and an operational override to cover increased tuition, transportation and other costs of sending students to South Shore Tech.

Pembroke officials told the committee that the town has been a nonmember feeder to South Shore Technical High School since 1962 and that recent growth in demand means Pembroke students are no longer guaranteed seats; the nine member towns currently fill about 640 slots. The superintendent read the draft article aloud at the meeting, saying, “Pembroke Public Schools has been sending students to South Shore Technical High School, formerly South Shore Regional Vocational Technical High School as a nonmember school since its inception in 1962.”

Committee members discussed financial and procedural steps. Administration staff estimated Pembroke’s share of the building project would be roughly $20 million and that the town would additionally need about $1.5 million to $2 million to cover the recurring costs of sending students (tuition, transportation and related expenses). At full capacity—an estimate that would allow up to 84 Pembroke students to attend—the recurring cost was described as about $2,000,000. The committee noted those annual costs could increase over time.

Committee members also reviewed the approval process: a positive town meeting vote in Pembroke would be followed by votes in the member towns (seven of nine must approve) and by separate voter approvals in Pembroke for any debt-exclusion and operational overrides required to fund construction and ongoing tuition/transportation costs. Committee members emphasized that specific payment formulas and the precise share of debt would be defined in a regional agreement to be worked out with the district and appearing in the regional agreement documents.

The committee approved the placeholder article on a motion moved by Sue and seconded by Allison; the vote was unanimous.

If placed on the fall 2025 warrant and approved by Pembroke voters and the required member towns, joining the regional district would guarantee Pembroke a formula-based allotment of seats for incoming freshmen rather than relying on nonmember admissions.