Meeting at its offices in downtown Boston on Jan. 27, the Massachusetts School Building Authority board voted unanimously to authorize its executive director to enter into a project-funding agreement with Minuteman for the new $144.9 million educational facility.
MSBA is expected to pay 44.75 percent of eligible project costs — up to a maximum of $44,139,213.
Immediately before the vote, State Treasurer Deborah Goldberg commended the school for the quality of its academic and technical programs and encouraged parents to give the school a closer look Treasurer Goldberg serves as chair of the MSBA board of directors.
The treasurer made a public appeal to parents in the district to consider sending their children to Minuteman. “It would behoove a lot of families,” she said, “to really look at the Minuteman programs.”
Minuteman’s technical programs “give kids the skills they need for the good jobs in the Commonwealth,” she said.
Goldberg also told Superintendent Edward Bouquillon, “You have tremendous academic programs.” She said she had visited Minuteman’s Girls in STEM Summer Camp, a program she described as “very exciting.”
Minuteman must now secure local approval of the project, a process that is not expected to start until after all 16 member towns hold Special Town Meetings to ratify a new Minuteman regional agreement. Arlington approved the accord Jan. 25.>
The final Special Town Meeting is scheduled for Feb. 24. Sometime after that, the Minuteman School Committee will vote to bond for the project.
The new school, to be located on District-owned land in Lincoln, will include two Career Academies with 16 career and technical programs and a robust offering of academic programs, including Advanced Placement and Honors courses, foreign languages, music, art and sports.
This news release was published Wednesday, Jan. 27, 2016.
