Webster to vote on new Park Ave Elementary School Monday, June 11

WEBSTER – Voters are asked to attend a Special Town Meeting Monday evening at 7:00 p.m., at the Bartlett High School auditorium to approve the spending of $46 million for a new Park Avenue Elementary School, which will be offset by a $29.4 million grant  from the Massachusetts School Building Authority, leaving the town to raise $16.6 million. 

The expenditure must be approved a second time with a ballot vote, which will he held on Monday, June 25. 

The Friends of the Webster Public Schools have issued a statement in support of the project, as follows:

One Chance at $30 Million

Monday’s long-awaited Special Town Meeting is the first half of a two-part vote to bring a much-needed Elementary School project to Webster.

The project has been planned for years, as our state legislators and school officials worked diligently to get Webster to the front of the line for state funding. Now, it’s time for Webster voters to do their part.

To pass the project, two YES votes are needed:

1. Town Meeting approval, Monday, June 11th: The meeting begins at 7 p.m. at the Bartlett High School auditorium and the project must pass by a two-thirds majority of YES votes. Town Meeting sets the amount to be borrowed; the warrant article, as legally required by the MSBA, sets forth the full $46 million reduced by the $30 million MSBA grant. Because the MSBA funds its share of the project up front, the town borrows only its $16 million share and pays interest on that amount only. The tax impact to the average homeowner is $183 per year.  Absentee ballots are not available for Town Meeting, but you can vote in the June 25^th ballot vote even if you miss Town Meeting.

2. Ballot approval on Monday, June 25: The ballot, which requires a simple majority of YES votes to pass, allows the town to exempt Proposition 2 ½ to borrow the amount set by Town Meeting on Monday. Polls are open at the Town Hall from 7 a.m.-8 p.m. Absentee voting is available for the ballot by going to the Town Hall anytime from now until June 25^th.

The MSBA has approved only this plan for state funding. There are no alternatives. Failure at either Town Meeting or the ballot vote sends Webster to the back of the line for years of waiting.

In the past, when Webster has waited for better opportunities, the price has only risen and the need has only become more urgent. Now is the time to get this project completed. It’s our one chance. Let’s grab it.

-       Friends of Webster Public Schools