MSBA Campbell/Greenmont work advances; superintendent outlines compressed budget timeline

District leaders told the school committee Jan. 13 that design work on the Campbell/Greenmont projects is intensifying and that the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA) package will be submitted for review in early February.

The superintendent said architects, the owner's project manager (OPM) and administration have been meeting almost daily. He said a school building committee meeting scheduled for Wednesday will provide a substantive update on site configuration and what a combined addition/renovation or a new building might look like. He described the February submission as a package sufficient for MSBA reviewers to understand district needs and configuration (not final schematic designs).

On budgeting, the superintendent outlined the annual budget timeline and warned committee members that state aid numbers (foundation/chapter amounts) have not yet been released. He said he will prepare a "reasonable" working draft budget to reflect level‑service needs and probable cost increases and deliver a draft to the town manager within charter deadlines. He said multiple iterations will be required as state figures and town chargebacks become available and noted the new town manager has just started work.

Committee members discussed priorities that could require additional staffing (English‑learner supports, special education, nurses, instructional coaches) and agreed the superintendent should present a budget informed by what the district needs rather than preemptive cuts. The superintendent said he is preparing for several scenarios and will refine numbers once DESE and legislative signals are clearer.