Site for new Tewksbury high school decided -- now plan must be OK'd

Hmmmmm we cannot pay for our teachers to work normal hours and we need a new school who is going to work in it let alone pay for it? I say fix the existing and put on an addition.

New school is needed to retain accreditation. money comes from different accounts. It is needed. stae pays a lot of it.

So will Tewksbury be looking for a Prop 2 1/2 exclusion to pay for new school like Billerica? If school will cost $70M to $80M, the town will need to come up with $34M to $39M for their share.

The town is in dire of a new facility. The reimbursement rate is higher than it may ever be again. This is a great way to invest in the community; an investment in education only improves a town in the long term. This is a valuable opportunity that the members of the Tewksbury community need to take advantage of.

Tewksbury will pay for a new high school, but then they will come back for a 2-1/2 override for furniture and books. Why build a new building when Tewksbury cannot maintain the ones they have now? The high school is a mess because it hasn't been maintained. What would your house look like if you didn't maintain it for 30 years. You could always build a new one, just like Tewksbury.

By all means build a new school, we won't have many in it, everyone is selling their homes. Teachers leaving, students leaving. Our taxes will go up, our schools will be brand new, but our students will still be doing poorly.
My house is getting old, how about y'all chip in and buy me a new in?

Voter wrote:

So will Tewksbury be looking for a Prop 2 1/2 exclusion to pay for new school like Billerica? If school will cost $70M to $80M, the town will need to come up with $34M to $39M for their share.

According to Tewksbury Issues "2/1 override" shouldn't be used to describe the cost placed on the residents... Like everything else we do, this is a joke - and we're only being told what they want us to know.

taxed to the max wrote:

<quoted text>
According to Tewksbury Issues "2/1 override" shouldn't be used to describe the cost placed on the residents... Like everything else we do, this is a joke - and we're only being told what they want us to know.

I would hope the first question asked is how Tewksbury expects to pay for this new school. If Tewksbury has a way of printing money to pay for these expensive projects, please let other cities/towns on this new wealth.

Voter wrote:

<quoted text>
I would hope the first question asked is how Tewksbury expects to pay for this new school. If Tewksbury has a way of printing money to pay for these expensive projects, please let other cities/towns on this new wealth.

Estimates for the new high school have run from $70 million to $80 million. Under the model-schools program, the state would cover at least 56 percent of that, with more reimbursements available if such items as energy-saving features are included.

We have a million stip malls in town that are vacant. We have empty condo's everywhere. Seems like every other home is for sale. People loosing their jobs, Firehouses only open certian times, a libary that seems empty all the time. I get that the school is old and we could loose the accreditation, but how do they expect to pay for it? Like one writer posted, We can't afford to pay the teachers. I bet if they could get some of that money we might be able to work within our means and keep what we got. My home was built in this town by my dad in 1947. It needs a ton of work, but am I asking for any money to get a new one. I do what I can with what I have. Is McGrath on her way out yet? Will this school be big enough to house offices for these folks? You just know they will want to be in the new place. Think I will just wait for my home to fall down around me. If this passes can we also get something votted on.....Like every town worker from the manager to janitor should LIVE in this town. Just one residences' opinion......

So, we could afford a huge library, police station, and senior center, but the one building that will increase home prices and maybe bring people and students back, we can't do? I agree that money for the schools hasn't been managed very well, but for those who only complain, don't just complain, offer a solution. We need a new high school, and when the state money is no longer offered because another town will take it, what then? We need ideas, not just complaining.

This is great for the town. It must be done. I agree with Moms of Two in Tewksbury.

In regards to the library- Stranger Still, you must never go there, because if you did, you would know it is always crowded. I was there today and there were plenty of people using the facility. It is great.

I'm sure Old Man KELLEY has an OVERRIDE in the works!!!

My God, I remember when I went there we werent allowed to walk down certain hallways in the winter because they were afraid the snow was going to collapse the roof. And that was fifteen years ago! Anyone who thinks they should just "fix" the current school probably has never been in the current school or has no kids so they dont give a crap about it.

Ditto...that school was a pit when my kid was a freshman EIGHT years ago... can well imagine the further safety issues and deterioration by now. Something needs to be done beyond the usual band-aid approach and it makes sense to me to utilize the State's offer while it's still available. However, if the true proponents of this issue don't go above and beyond the school contingency with outreach and accurate information to drive the necessity home and convince more of the general resident population, I believe it is doomed to fail when it comes to the vote.

deval has proposed to gut the school building authorities money.there will be no money coming from the state!27 million cut from this years budget proposed by deval.

Matt wrote:

My God, I remember when I went there we werent allowed to walk down certain hallways in the winter because they were afraid the snow was going to collapse the roof. And that was fifteen years ago! Anyone who thinks they should just "fix" the current school probably has never been in the current school or has no kids so they dont give a crap about it.

Gotta agree with Matt. I was there about 15 yrs ago to and it was a pit then... went back about 6 mths ago to pick up some old records and nothing has been updated or changed at all! its just falling apart more! The town has never been able to afford any of all the pretty new things they like to build but thats never stopped them. At least this will be safer for the kids!

The state has not actually told us that our money was cut. The town vote could indicate that if the state does not fund what they agreed to, then that could negate the plan. Again, we should note vote "no" just because the state might cut funding. A school adds property value, unlike other projects.

Lowell High is probably 3 to 4 times as old as Tewksbury and it's been renovated several times. Why can't this be done in Tewksbury? Talk about wasting money in a recession. Please don't tell me it's over. there are still 15 million Americans still unemployed and anothe 20 mil underemployed at temp and part-time jobs.

Mom of two in Tewksbury wrote:

So, we could afford a huge library, police station, and senior center, but the one building that will increase home prices and maybe bring people and students back, we can't do? I agree that money for the schools hasn't been managed very well, but for those who only complain, don't just complain, offer a solution. We need a new high school, and when the state money is no longer offered because another town will take it, what then? We need ideas, not just complaining.

Those were very different economic times. I'd much rather give my kids a roof over their head and the stability of remaining in their home rather than take a chance on this school...