No Go For North Andover Middle School Expansion

NORTH ANDOVER, MA -- It's back to the drawing board for the proposed expansion of the North Andover Middle School. The Massachusetts School Building Authority declined to partner on the town after reviewing a statement of interest outlining the proposed project.

"Overall, the MSBA received 70 SOIs from 56 different school districts for consideration in 2018," Superintendent Gregg T. Gilligan and Town Manager Andrew Maylor said in a joint note to parents, students and staff. "In reviewing SOIs, the MSBA identifies the school facilities that have the greatest and most urgent need based on an assessment of the entire cohort of SOIs that are received for consideration each year."

It was the second time North Andover has proposed the project to MSBA, which funds up to 40 percent of construction costs on school construction and renovation projects when it partners with school districts. Gilligan and Maylor noted that many towns apply three or four times before their project is accepted for funding.

"As Superintendent and Town Manager, we are committed to our District’s goals of reducing class size and providing the best spaces possible for teachers to teach and students to learn," they said.

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Photo by North Andover Public Schools.

Dave Copeland can be reached at dave.copeland@patch.com or by calling 617-433-7851. Follow him on Twitter (@CopeWrites) and Facebook (/copewrites).