Superintendent: Hemmonway enters MSBA eligibility period; replacement or renovation options under study

Superintendent Bob Tremble told families the district has entered the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA) eligibility period for a feasibility study of Hemmonway Elementary School, which is among the district’s oldest buildings.

Tremble emphasized that Hemmonway is “safe” and “watertight” and that no immediate health risks have been identified, but said the district needs to consider long‑term options. He summarized the feasibility study as evaluating three paths: renovating the current building with an addition, constructing a new building on the current Hemmonway site, or building a new replacement at another location on Framingham’s Southside.

“One of the proposed possible locations for that school in addition to on its current site would be a Southside site,” Tremble said, noting the city’s purchase of the Bethany property as a potential state site. He added that any decision on a new building would require city approval and funding, and that if a new school were approved, doors would likely open in the 2030–31 school year.

Tremble also said the district is short on schools on the Southside and that a new school could reduce the need to bus students across the city. He stressed that no final decisions have been made and that the district has recently onboarded a design and project management team and formed a school building committee to guide community engagement and the feasibility process.

Next steps include community meetings, further study of site options and alternatives, and public opportunities for input as the MSBA process proceeds.