Duxbury schools present $6.9M FY27 capital needs; Alden feasibility study added amid questions about funding route

Duxbury school and town facilities and technology leaders told the School Committee that the district's FY27 capital need list totals about $6.9 million and that the administration prioritized $3.175 million of those needs for the coming year. The committee also discussed adding a feasibility study for Alden School as part of the district's prioritized capital requests and debated how the study should be funded.

Lisa (school/business office) summarized the capital process, citing Massachusetts law and town financial-management policy and explaining that capital requests typically originate with facilities and technology directors and principals. Katie St. Clair, director of facilities for town and schools, and Mike Woodford, the district chief technology officer, joined the presentation.

Capital ask overview and prior funding

The department presented FY27 total needs of roughly $6.9 million and a prioritized package for FY27 totaling $3,175,000. Lisa said prior years saw higher requests and noted that the town funded a portion of school capital in recent years using federal ARPA funds and free cash. She listed recent capital work including roof repairs, PA-system replacements, school security phases and relief for bird nesting at Chandler.

Key items in the FY27 prioritized list include a feasibility study for Alden School, roof work, replacement of exhausted HVAC exhaust fans at Chandler, staff laptop replacements, the continuing Chromebook lease (year 3 of 4) and a math-curriculum request that had been proposed in FY26.

Alden feasibility study and MSBA process

Administrators said the Alden project is in the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA) eligibility phase. Lisa explained the MSBA process: of 119 statements of interest submitted statewide in 2024, 22 districts were accepted into the eligibility pipeline and six communities had already committed town funding for feasibility studies. She said Duxbury's statement of interest was accepted, and that feasibility study funding is typically provided from town funds on a town-meeting warrant, not by a debt-exclusion ballot question.

Committee members raised questions after learning the town manager and finance director had recommended funding the Alden feasibility study via a debt exclusion. Committee members said they were unaware of that recommendation and requested a formal opportunity to discuss funding with the select board and relevant town-finance committees before the district proceeds with building-committee work.

Committee next steps and timing

Members asked for clearer direction. The committee asked the Alden School Building Committee and the school committee leadership to request a select-board discussion and to invite fiscal advisory and finance-committee representatives to clarify whether a debt exclusion or traditional town-funding route will be recommended. Lisa suggested a joint town-meeting warrant approach is the district's historical method for feasibility funding; committee members said they would elevate the question to the select board for a public explanation.

Other technical and facilities details

Facilities staff explained the technical urgency of some items. Katie St. Clair said multiple Chandler School exhaust fans are failing and that a bundled replacement would allow sustainable maintenance instead of piecemeal repairs. Mike Woodford reviewed technology needs, including staff MacBook Air replacements (devices at the end of five to six years of service) and continuing Chromebook leases for students.

No formal vote was taken to fund the study at this meeting. The committee and administration agreed to seek select-board guidance and to return to the capital vote after clarifying the town-level funding approach.

Ending

Committee members requested the administration and the Alden building committee arrange a public discussion with the select board, and deferred a final capital vote until they can present the funding-path options to the public and town committees.