Arlington board to seek $75 million capital levy to replace Post Middle School; ballots mailed Jan. 23

Arlington School District officials told a public forum that the board will ask voters to approve a $75 million capital levy to pay part of a $101 million project to replace Post Middle School, with the district seeking an additional $25 million in state construction assistance.

Board President Mary Levesque said the district held a post‑election survey after a November measure failed and received roughly 700 responses; based on that feedback the board reduced the local ask and the scope of the project by about $6 million. "We do extremely value your feedback and your input," Levesque said, describing the smaller levy and a shortened building program.

Why it matters: District officials said Post is more than four decades old, does not meet modern safety and seismic standards, suffers poor indoor air quality from an aging HVAC network, and has recurring courtyard flooding and an unusable track — conditions the district says are cheaper to address through replacement than by renovation. The board and staff fielded questions about costs, timelines, contingency plans and who pays.

Key facts and figures - District ask: $75,000,000 local capital levy for the Post Middle School replacement; the district says it is eligible for $25,000,000 in state matching funds from the state construction assistance program, bringing the project total to about $101,000,000 as presented to voters. - Reduction from prior measure: District leaders said they trimmed roughly $6,000,000 from the original proposal to reduce the local tax impact; that reduction removed four classrooms and a weight room and reduced building square footage compared with the prior plan. - Household impact example: District presenters said the levy…