Region 15 board weighs sites, septic and state incentives as it advances plans for two new elementary schools

Superintendent Smith told the Region 15 Board of Education that feasibility work points to several possible paths to address two aging elementary schools and that recently enacted state incentives could materially reduce the local cost of new construction. “Any building that we build that includes an early childhood center could qualify for 15% on the entire building,” Smith said, and the district has identified a second 15% reimbursement that applies to square footage used for specialized education programs.

The board spent the bulk of the meeting walking through candidate sites and the tradeoffs of renovation versus new construction. Smith summarized the committee’s analysis of the IBM parcel, noting it is listed as a 228‑acre property but that only a roughly 9‑acre buildable portion is practical for a school and the town…