Berkshire Hills panel unanimously approves Monument Mountain ballot question, sets $152 million appropriation

The Berkshire Hills Regional School District School Committee unanimously voted Sept. 11 to place a ballot question on Nov. 4 asking voters to authorize borrowing of up to $152,067,064 to build a new Monument Mountain Regional High School, with the district to seek reimbursement from the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA). The motion directs that the debt authorization be submitted to district voters and makes the appropriation contingent on available MSBA grant funds.

Committee member Rich, who read the vetted ballot language and the committee's explanatory statement, said the MSBA has approved between $59 million and $61 million in funding for the project. "The MSBA funding represents the largest single investment by the state in the district," Rich said, arguing that rebuilding is more cost-effective than piecemeal repairs. The statement the committee read and unanimously endorsed said the existing building is "obsolete" and that required code upgrades were estimated at $89 million without state funding.

The committee discussed details of the ballot mechanics and fiscal impact. Members noted that the district must appropriate the full project amount for the ballot and that the local share will be reduced by any MSBA grant; the statement placed the district's estimated local obligation at roughly $89–91 million after grants and incentives. Committee members emphasized that each member town will also vote on related Proposition 2½ exemptions (local overrides) to pay its allocable share, and that town-level ballots will be separate from the district vote.

A committee member asked for clearer public education about Proposition 2½. In response, members urged outreach and said town officials should help explain the vote. The committee also voted to add language to its endorsement noting that the new building will be available for community programs and evening use.

The item passed unanimously. Next steps identified by the committee: final voter materials, continued public forums (including a large forum scheduled Sept. 16), and outreach to town select boards and municipal officials before the Nov. 4 district-wide election.

The motion as approved directs the district to seek MSBA reimbursement under Chapter 71, Section 16N of the general laws and to reduce borrowing authority by any grant amount set in the project funding agreement. The vote sends the ballot question and related town override questions to the Nov. 4, 2025 ballots for voters in the district.