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Holliston administration to reapply after MSBA declines feasibility-study request
Summary
Holliston’s application to the Massachusetts School Building Authority for a feasibility study was not accepted this cycle; administrators said they will reapply and noted MSBA is prioritizing districts with enrollment growth.
Holliston officials told the School Committee on Dec. 19 that the district’s statement of interest (SOI) to the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA) for a feasibility study was not selected this cycle.
An administrator said about 47 districts submitted SOIs and that MSBA appears to be prioritizing projects linked to sustained or large enrollment increases. “Increased enrollment seems to be what's getting approvals…we were seeing an uptick in students and our kindergarten class had increased…and then now we are…seeing a decrease right now,” the administrator said.
The district brought a consultant and worked with MSBA staff last year, conducted a walkthrough with MSBA and incorporated feedback into the SOI. Administrators said they will reapply when the SOI window reopens: the district was told the next SOI period opens Jan. 13 and some accelerated-repair project timelines require earlier steps; a referenced deadline for an accelerated repairstyle submission was April 4.
Administrators cautioned that renovating the high school could make a future application weaker if MSBA’s enrollment criterion is not met, and noted that the building’s 2001 renovation means the facility is not in visibly decrepit condition—an issue the panel discussed when assessing MSBA competitiveness.
The committee was told the district will continue to monitor options including accelerated repair funding and revisit the MSBA application strategy in future cycles.
