WORCESTER, Mass. — The Worcester School Committee received a comprehensive update on district facilities and approved the superintendents facilities report, which outlines a facilities master plan, accelerated repair projects and an anticipated Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA) feasibility study for a new high school.

The report, delivered by the superintendent and deputy superintendent, said the district manages 57 buildings with about 4,600,000 interior square feet and roughly 1,700 classrooms, and that the average age of district buildings is 77 years. The presentation said 26 of the 57 district-owned buildings were constructed before 1940 and that the district currently spends $683 per student on school maintenance in fiscal 2025.

The update tied facility work to the districts strategic plan and the Student Opportunity Act funding increases. Deputy Superintendent Bridal Allen said the facilities work is integral to the strategic plans priority of modernized and safe facilities, noting the districts goal is to provide flexible learning spaces, full technology integration and energy-efficient systems. "The district's work on facilities is directly tied to the current strategic plan," Allen said during the presentation.

Committee members heard that MSBA assessments from 2016 rated many Worcester schools as needing moderate to extensive renovation; the district said a new statewide MSBA assessment will be conducted in 2025 and the district completed a partial facilities master plan in 2017 that identified $70 million in urgent repairs among the buildings reviewed.

District staff reported recent investments and assessments: HVAC repairs estimated at more than $200 million in a 2022 Honeywell assessment (the district has used about $20 million of ESSER funds for upgrades), $88 million in MSBA and city investments for accelerator repair projects since 2012 (covering windows, roofs and boilers), and a 2019 modular-unit replacement estimate of $7 million plus code-upgrade costs.

The committee discussed specific schools: the district said it is finishing the MSBA eligibility phase for the high-school replacement project currently referred to in the presentation (the project was described as entering feasibility after eligibility) and expects to be invited into the feasibility phase in April; district staff estimated a new school could open by 2031, while noting that date is a planning placeholder and will be refined during feasibility and design. Allen said the feasibility phase will include an enrollment study that will determine whether the project should serve grades 7–12 or 9–12.

Operational issues were covered: facilities staff described recent heating disruptions during severe cold weather at Burncoat Middle School and other locations. Director of Facilities Rich Eikonen said the department brought a heating trailer to serve an affected wing at Burncoat while repairs were completed: "We brought in a heating trailer to provide that wing, and that went into place this morning, and it's been functioning all afternoon." Eikonen also confirmed portable air-cleaning units installed during the pandemic remain in buildings and are being maintained and used on an as-needed basis: "They are in the buildings, but they are not always utilized fully throughout the buildings, but we are maintaining them."

Public commenters and several committee members emphasized the importance of continuing investments in neighborhood elementary schools and of prioritizing safety funding and responsive repairs. A resident, Dina Tedeschi, thanked the superintendents team and urged continued investment in safe, accessible and well-maintained schools and libraries.

The committee approved a motion to accept and file the superintendent's facilities report by roll call vote. Several members asked that the administration distribute the five-year capital plan and related slides to committee members for review. The administration said the district will continue work on a citywide consolidated facilities master plan (municipal and school buildings), to be completed by June 2026, and will bring the results of the MSBA eligibility and feasibility phases to the committee as they advance.

Next steps listed in the presentation included launching the district facilities master plan field work, completing the MSBA eligibility phase for the high-school project and transitioning into feasibility, finishing a district space-utilization study, and continued use of MSBA and City of Worcester funds for accelerated repair projects.

Ending: The committee filed the facilities report and directed the administration to circulate the capital plan details and continue monthly coordination with the city managers office as the district moves into the MSBA feasibility work and the districtwide facilities master-plan field work.