Updated 10:30 p.m.
SALEM, MA — Salem High School Mayor and School Committee Chair Dominick Pangallo thanked residents for saying "yes" to the Witch City's students, city and its future in declaring victory on the day voters went to the polls to approve $232 million in tax override debt spending to build a new high school.
Salem voters backed the debt service exclusion for the new school by about 15 points with 4,133 votes (57.4 percent) in favor of the override and 3,061 votes (42.5 percent) against.
"Thanks to everyone who volunteered their time, both on the YES campaign and on the School Building Committee, to get us to this point," Pangallo said in a message posted on social media about 20 minutes after polls closed. "And a BIG thanks to all of the voters — no matter how they voted — who cared enough about our community to show up and cast a ballot on this important matter."
The vote approved the $232 million in borrowing, which will be combined with $7 million in current grant funding and $208 million in expected state matching funds, to pay for the $447 million high school.
The "yes" vote bonds the city's portion of the building over 30 years with a starting tax implication of between $682 and $710 per year for the median single-family homeowner, according to city sources.
"Tonight, we made the right decision for our collective future," City Councilor Ty Hapworth said on Tuesday night. "But this vote also makes something hard very real: taxes will go up to pay for a new high school, and that's a serious burden at a tough time for a lot of families.
"'Yes,' voters went to the polls with the exact same worries 'No' voters had. We’re united there. We all care about this city and we all worry about making ends meet. Now we owe everyone, especially those who voted no, a process that/s transparent and disciplined. This is a decision we now shoulder together."
The construction time is expected to be about 30 months beginning next year.
The school is slated to be built adjacent to the current building on Willson Street, with the former school then torn down to make way for new athletic fields.
"Over the coming months, we'll continue the final design phases of the new high school project, keep seeking outside funding and grants to further reduce the project cost, and prepare for the start of construction in summer of 2027," Pangallo posted on Tuesday night.
Pangallo, a chief proponent for the new building, told Patch in a statement on Monday that the school is in a dire state, and the new building is more financially feasible and more beneficial in the long-term than a potential renovation to address myriad code issues.
"Salem's current high school building, built over five decades ago now, has heating and cooling systems that no longer work, asbestos in the walls, mercury in the floors, and leaks in the ceiling," he told Patch on Monday. "It's not accessible, and half of it has no sprinkler system. It also lacks intentionally-built career and technical education spaces, our fastest-growing educational program, and offers deficient arts and athletics spaces.
"The classrooms are physically smaller than what the state requires today and lack access to natural light. ... Now, we finally have the opportunity to secure a $208 million state grant to build a new, better, healthier, and safer school for our students and for the teachers who work in that building."
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