The Woburn School Committee on Nov. 10 authorized the superintendent to submit a Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA) Statement of Interest (SOI) to pursue state review for a consolidated North Woburn elementary school built on the AltaVesta site that would combine AltaVesta and Linscott and include an attached early childhood program (ECP).

The vote to prioritize the AltaVesta SOI (referred to internally as the AltaVesta project) followed a lengthy public comment period and detailed staff presentations on building conditions, enrollment and MSBA rules. The committee’s roll-call vote initially recorded six in favor and one opposed; members then took a ceremonial unanimous consent to present a united record when the SOI is submitted.

Why it matters: community members, parents and the city council told committee members that North Woburn elementary buildings suffer long-standing accessibility and overcrowding problems and deserve immediate investment. Councilor Rob Toro said he heard “every single one of those city councilors share the very similar thought that the North Woburn School should be prioritized” when discussing MSBA submittals. Parents described front‑door accessibility barriers at AltaVesta and Linscott and urged action now rather than continued temporary fixes.

What officials said: Director of Facilities warned of aging mechanical systems and life-safety equipment, telling the committee the boilers “keep me up at night…they’re from the nineties,” and that failures would be expensive and disruptive. Superintendent Dr. Crowley summarized a community survey (138 respondents) that showed 58% favored consolidating North Woburn elementary schools and noted the community asked for safe, accessible, modern space and for ECP needs to be addressed.

Financial and procedural context: MSBA requires the district to prioritize a single SOI for the core program; districts may submit multiple statements to MSBA’s Accelerated Repair Program for limited work (roofs, boilers, similar systems). Committee members and staff discussed cost tradeoffs: the feasibility study and staff materials cite multi‑million-dollar needs across buildings, and discussion included an $80 million figure referenced for bringing two middle schools up to code and an overall project estimate noted in public comments. The committee directed the superintendent to highlight statutory MSBA priorities (including safety/accessibility, overcrowding relief and program space for special education/ECP) when drafting the formal SOI language.

Parallel actions: the committee also voted to submit SOIs to MSBA’s Accelerated Repair Program for both Joyce and Kennedy middle schools to pursue targeted funding for high‑priority repairs while the district advances the core project SOI.

What’s next: the SOI filing window opens in January; staff will draft the SOI text to reflect the committee’s selected priorities and include the ECP as new construction connected to the AltaVesta/Linscott consolidation. MSBA’s acceptance of an SOI does not guarantee a grant or approval—the authority will review and rank submissions statewide before inviting projects into its application process.