Braintree Schools Seeking State Aid For High School Renovation

BRAINTREE, MA — Town officials have approved making a request to the Massachusetts School Building Authority to acquire state aid to replace or renovate Braintree High School.

The Town Council on April 7 approved submitting a statement of interest for the project. Superintendent Frank Hackett said the school building authority isn't making decisions for school projects until late December.

According to the statement of interest, the high school needs to be replaced, renovated or modernized to avoid the loss of accrediation. Adding an addition or replacing obsolete buildings was also an option.

Addressing the high school's needs was one of the three questions residents will vote on in an upcoming special election. The scheduled vote was for residents to decide whether to pay for a $63 million debt exclusion to pay for a new South Middle School and other school improvement projects, including a $1.5 million for a feasibility study on redeveloping Braintree High School.

The special election was originally scheduled for March 28, but had to be postponed, amid the new coronavirus pandemic. A new date has yet to be scheduled.

"When all the dust clears, we’ll figure out a date for that," Mayor Charles Kokoros said.

If a debt exclusion is approved, property taxes will increase, but the increases will decrease gradually over the life of the loan. Here's a breakdown of the average tax increases:

• Years 1-5: $190.99
• Years 6-10: $175.91
• Years 11-20: 170.88
• Years 20-30: $150.78