Above: The PreK-8 SBC compiled a lot of data and backup reports for its massive, detailed matrix. (image edited from contributed materials)
The PreK-8 School Building Committee has updated and added documents for its presentation to the Select Board tonight. This is expected to be the committee’s final report.
Some readers may prefer to wait and simply watch the presentation or read a recap after the meeting. But some may want to dig into the details to prepare to ask questions tonight.
Reminder —The PreK-8 SBC wasn’t charged with recommending a project for the Town and schools to pursue. The committee was focused on pulling together all of the data and context that officials and voters may want to weigh when deciding next steps for maintaining or renovating/constructing school(s).
It’s unlikely that the Select Board will decide tonight on a project or single path to support. But they are expected to discuss what next steps the Town and schools should take. (That doesn’t necessarily mean they’ll vote on that tonight.)
On Friday, I shared docs that were shared by Tim Fling, who serves on both the Select Board and Building Committee. Late last night, he shared updated versions, and a new doc.
I should note, that while tonight’s presentation is expected to be the final report, some of the docs below may be subsequently updated based on tonight’s discussion.
Here are all of the docs. A few of the original ones haven’t been revised, so I highlighted what’s what below:
- Progress Report and Overview of the Comparison Matrix (click here)
- Updated – The Building Options Matrix (click here)
- New – Report from Educational Considerations and Implications Working Group (A detailed explanation of their analysis of the implications of each scenario from the standard of maintaining the school district’s educational standards, including dedicated pages for each scenario.) (click here)
- Updated – Education Standards Analysis (The consolidated “heat map” of the implications of each scenario from the standard of maintaining the school district’s educational standards, using info from the above report.) (click here)
- Updated – Cost Assumptions (an explanation about assumptions made when calculating cost estimates included in the matrix) (click here)
- Trottier Implications – Explanation of why extra space would be needed if 5th grade is added to the middle school (click here)
- Finn Implications – Explanation of why extra space would be needed if 2nd grade is added to the lowest school (click here)
Tonight’s meeting with both the Select Board and the building committee is scheduled to begin at 6:30 pm, but the topic isn’t the first on the Select Board’s agenda. (You can find the Select Board’s agenda and meeting packet here.) The public meeting will be held in the Town House Hearing Room and participants can also ask questions/make comments via zoom.
The Southborough School Committee hasn’t posted an agenda to participate in the discussion. But there is an update on the PreK-8 SBC included on the School Committee’s agenda for tomorrow night. That meeting opens at 6:30 pm at Trottier Middle School. (You can find their agenda and packet here.)
Tonight, the Select Board may assign some “cleanup work”. But, the PreK-8 SBC’s charge expires October 15th, and the Select Board doesn’t expect to extend the charge to have the committee take on more tasks. (Though, it is likely that next steps could eventually include creation of a new committee. And that committee could include many of the same faces.)
Updated (10/7/25 9:56 am): I clarified that while this is expected to be the final report presentation, some docs may be updated subsequently based on what’s discussed in tonight’s meeting.
