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Superintendent reports 19 school‑choice enrollments, capital needs and stalled projects
Summary
Superintendent Riley updated the committee on 19 official high‑school school‑choice enrollments, a district capital stabilization account, a likely $200,000 earmark for sidewalk repairs, multiple town facility projects and several cost overruns forcing schedule changes.
Superintendent Riley told the Wachusett Regional School District Committee that 19 school‑choice enrollments are currently official at the high school for grades nine and ten and that the district has moved to a rolling application process for those seats. "Right now, we had 19 enrollments that are official in grades 9 and 10 at the high school," Riley said, and added the district will not accept additional K–8 applications at this time because of current enrollment levels.
Riley also reviewed a multi‑jurisdiction capital update. He said all five member towns approved establishing a capital stabilization account and reported the district expects to receive an earmark of about $200,000 to repair concrete sidewalks at Wachusett Regional High School, crediting Senator Durant and former committee member Linda Woodland for help in securing the funding. "We believe we are going to receive an earmark for $200,000 — that's for WWRHS concrete sidewalk walk repairs," Riley stated.
On specific projects, Riley said an unexpected ECC roof replacement cost about $250,000 and a generator project cost roughly the same and is nearly complete pending a final electrical hookup. The district has committed $700,000 for high school concrete repairs to replace sidewalks, ramps and adjacent curbing because of safety concerns. A planned auto‑body floor replacement was bid at $609,000 versus an original estimate of $300,000; the superintendent said the district will save the FY'26 appropriation and revisit the project in FY'27 or explore alternative sites or program expansions.
Riley outlined individual town updates: playground equipment and security bids in Holden pending DPW support; Paxton phone upgrades and a >$50,000 town‑approved boiler replacement; Princeton security and water‑tank work totaling about $500,000 and a $200,000 heating unit appropriation; Rutland concrete needs and water damage at Glenwood that may require structural study; and a breached exterior oil tank at Naguog that could exceed $500,000 to replace. Several projects have been delayed or may require rebids because low bids exceeded estimates.
Riley said the district will share MSBA survey findings and a Central Mass Regional Planning Commission phase‑2 report first with the facilities subcommittee. He concluded by noting scheduled facility tours in July and invited committee members to attend.
