New Middle School Close to Next Design Phase

The next step in the process for the building of a new middle school is a Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA) Board of Directors meeting on Sept. 30.

At that meeting, the board of directors is expected to vote to approve the project funding agreement for the project, which will then trigger the detailed design phase of the project.

Last month, the Beverly Middle School Building Committee voted in favor of authorizing the city to submit its schematic design package to the MSBA for its review. The MSBA is the quasi-independent government authority that will be funding a significant portion of the project in partnership with the City of Beverly.

The city, along with members of the design team, have worked steadily to control costs while building a world class school, according to city and school officials.

The portion of the total cost to be borne by the city is estimated at $60 million.

The new middle school is scheduled to open in September of 2018 and will house 1,395 students in grades five through eight.

“We are one big step closer to opening the world class, 21st century middle school our children and our community need,” said Mayor Michael Cahill following the school building committe vote. “Further, we have already cut nearly $15 million from earlier cost projections and we’ll continue to strive to cut costs throughout the project. Come September, 2018 we will have built the beautiful, great school that our City both needs and can afford.”

“This $60M estimated cost to the City is affordable,” said city finance director Bryant Ayles. “We have made significant efforts over the past few Fiscal Years to prepare the City for this and this revised cost estimate fits within the City’s current financial capacity.”

“I think we are all looking forward to opening our four-year middle school that improves consistency across our secondary level curriculum, provides for improved student growth during the middle school years, and increases parental involvement in our middle school community,” said School Committee Chair Paul Manzo

Dr. Steven Hiersche, Superintendent of Beverly Public Schools said it is exciting to be closer to the culmination of Beverly’s plan to have an outstanding PreK-12 education in world class facilities.