Above: The School Committee is conducting public outreach and trying to drum up turnout for the Special Town Meeting to be held a week from Monday. (images cropped from flyer)
The Special Town Meeting about Southborough school buildings is coming up in ten days.
Earlier this week, I posted about related Info Sessions the Southborough School Committee will be hosting over the next week. The committee reached out this morning with an announcement and flyers to communicate directly with readers.
They shared a text announcement summarizing the Articles on the March 2nd Special Town Meeting Warrant. They also included a flyer with more details about the Neary School roof situation and the Articles.
Plus, they included a flyer encouraging the public to attend the upcoming forums:
LEARN • ASK QUESTIONS • STAY INFORMED
As the Southborough community prepares for the upcoming Special Town Meeting, we invite families, residents, and community members to attend the upcoming School Informational Forums. These sessions are designed to provide clear information, answer questions, and ensure the community feels informed and prepared for the Special Town Meeting.
The forums are this Sunday evening (over zoom) and Monday and Thursday in person. You can open that flyer for more details here.
Below is the committee’s full announcement:
At the upcoming Special Town Meeting on Monday, March 2nd at 6PM at Trottier Middle School, voters will be asked to consider several warrant articles related to school facilities, with a particular focus on Margaret A. Neary Elementary School. The School Committee has reviewed each proposal and voted unanimously to support Articles 1 and 4.
Article 1 requests $175,000 for feasibility and design work focused on Neary Elementary School. The study would return to Town Meeting within six to nine months with several options: basic code-compliance upgrades, a full renovation, and a full renovation with enhancements to support educational programming. Voters would make the final decision on any project, which would require a two-thirds Town Meeting vote and a majority ballot vote.
While the article references a $15 million target for basic upgrades, the School Committee is seeking professional cost estimates and acknowledges that expenses could exceed that amount. If a future Neary project is approved, the current grade configuration would remain unchanged. The School Committee unanimously supports Article 1 as its preferred path.
Article 2 seeks $500,000 to study potential additions and renovations at Trottier Middle School (to add Grade 5) and at Finn Elementary School (to add Grade 2). This funding is for design only, not construction. Any future building project would require a two-thirds Town Meeting vote and a majority ballot vote. This option would close Neary and redistribute grade levels among existing schools. The School Committee unanimously opposes Article 2, Trottier Middle School is a very functional middle school as is currently configured and there are concerns of expanding the building with integrity to maintain educational programming. Article 3 asks for $324,000 to study expanding Finn Elementary School to include grades PreK–3. If Article 2 passes, this amount would be reduced due to overlapping work. As with Article 2, this funding is for a study only, and any construction would require future approval. This proposal would close Neary and reconfigure grade levels. The School Committee unanimously opposes Article 3, maintaining that renovating Neary is the priority. There are concerns with maintaining the educational programming by expanding Finn Elementary School by two grades. Article 4 requests $6.85 million to address immediate needs at Neary Elementary School. This includes $4.5 million to replace the failed roof, $2.1 million for ADA compliance upgrades, and funding to determine additional code-compliance costs. If Article 1 passes, Article 4 would be reduced to $4.5 million to cover only the roof replacement.
A recent evaluation found that Neary’s roof is in complete failure: Approximately 30 percent has detached, sections are being lifted by wind, and water is pooling and leaking into the building. Temporary measures are in place to get through the school year, but experts recommend full roof replacement by summer 2026 due to safety risks. ADA upgrades will be triggered if the roof project exceeds 30 percent of the building’s assessed value; if a full renovation is later approved, those upgrades would be incorporated into that project. The School Committee unanimously supports Article 4.
Built in 1970, Neary has been the subject of discussion for decades. Previous renovation plans were postponed, and while enrollment has fluctuated, projections show modest growth in the coming years. This effort is not driven by enrollment, but by the need to modernize an aging building. These are necessary improvements, not optional upgrades.
The School Committee encourages residents to attend upcoming forums and the March 2nd Special Town Meeting to support students, faculty, and staff. The election that would include any related ballot question will take place on May 12th.
Southborough School Committee
ssc@nsboro.k12.ma.us
