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The last day to register to vote is Friday, May 31st. You can register online - https://www.sec.state.ma.us/ovr/. Voting day is Tuesday, June 11th.

Yes, you can vote using an absentee ballot. You will have to complete the absentee ballot application. You can find that application here - https://www.sec.state.ma.us/divisions/elections/download/absentee-ballot-applications/Absentee-Ballot-Application-English.pdf

The existing high school has been in service for nearly 70 years. It has been expanded over the years as needs changed which has resulted in a sprawling conglomeration of wings that no longer serve the district adequately. The time it takes to traverse the building has begun to adversely affect educational opportunities as well as the quality of life of the students and staff. This sprawling nature does not afford the opportunity for easy collaboration amongst the various educational offerings, teachers and students as the various wings are essentially homogeneous, focusing on singular areas of study. This is contrary to the district’s proposed education plan which focuses on providing a collaborative and interconnected educational experience. The existing sprawling high school, physically, does not allow for the proposed educational model.

The proposed design shifts to a two story, distributed model where the overall organization is broken up into a community wing and an academic wing. The academic wing is further organized into three “houses” that each contain general classrooms, labs, and meeting spaces surrounding a collaboration atrium that is anchored by a satellite media center. This organization sets up the opportunity for chance encounters and collaboration.

The estimated total cost of the Agawam High School Building Project is currently $231.5M. The MSBA will reimburse the Town of Agawam for eligible project costs during construction. The reimbursement rates are dependent upon various socioeconomic factors. Historically, the MSBA’s reimbursement rate covers approximately 60 percent of the total project cost and is currently estimated at $99M. The town’s portion of the cost would be approximately $132M.

A renovation will not solve any of the educational or safety issues. Renovation does not address educational needs or our NEASC accreditation. A renovation project could take up to 5-10 years vs. 3 years for new construction.

• Option 3 Required & Imminent Repairs is estimated to cost $73M

• MSBA will not contribute any matching funds to this repair project

• Existing school building is 69 years old

• Life expectancy for major systems (roof and HVAC) has been exceeded

• The existing building cannot support a cost effective, energy efficient mechanical system

due to the building envelope, height and structure

• Renovation does not solve any of the educational issues nor does it address school safety

issues or scheduling concerns

• Renovation does not address educational needs such as science rooms and our NEASC

accreditation

• A renovation project could take up to 5-10 years vs. 3 years for new construction

-new construction will be less disruptive to students/teachers and the community

-new construction eliminates need for modulars

• New construction is safer for students, teachers, and residents

Losing accreditation for a high school in Massachusetts would have significant implications for the school, its students, and the broader community. Accreditation is a process through which an independent agency evaluates a school's educational programs to determine if they meet certain criteria and standards of quality. Here are the key consequences of losing accreditation:

1. Impact on Student Opportunities: Students from a non-accredited high school might face challenges in being accepted to colleges and universities. Higher education institutions often require applicants to have graduated from an accredited high school. Losing accreditation could make it harder for students to pursue further education.

2. Federal and State Funding: Schools often need to be accredited to be eligible for certain types of federal and state funding. Losing accreditation could result in a decrease in funding, which might lead to cuts in programs, staff, and resources.

3. Reputation and Enrollment: The reputation of a high school can be significantly damaged by the loss of accreditation, which could lead to a decrease in student enrollment. Families may opt to send their children to other schools, leading to a decline in the school's population and potentially affecting its funding even further, as public schools in the United States often receive funding based on enrollment numbers.

4. Teacher and Staff Morale and Recruitment: The loss of accreditation can impact the morale of teachers and staff, who may feel demotivated by the stigma of working at a non-accredited institution. It could also make it more challenging to recruit qualified teachers and staff, as professionals might be hesitant to join a school without accreditation.

5. Legal and Administrative Challenges: The school and its district might face legal and administrative challenges in trying to regain accreditation. This process can be lengthy, requiring significant effort to demonstrate improvement and compliance with accreditation standards.

6. Impact on the Community: The quality of local schools is often a factor in decisions about where families choose to live. A loss of accreditation can lead to a decrease in property values and affect the overall attractiveness of the community to current and prospective residents.

Recovering from the loss of accreditation would require a concerted effort from the school administration, teachers, students, parents, and the community. The school would need to address the deficiencies identified by the accrediting agency, which could include improving academic performance, enhancing facilities, updating curricula, and ensuring effective governance and leadership.

Yes, the AHS will need to be renovated as it is in bad shape. There would be required and imminent repairs that would need to be done as soon as possible. The estimated cost to the town for a new AHS is $132,000,000 and the estimated cost for required and imminent repairs is $73,000,000. If you vote no, taxes will still increase by an average of $340-$353 per year, to pay for imminent repairs. If you vote yes, your taxes will increase on average $465-488 per year to pay for the new school. That is about a $10 per month difference.

The Town of Agawam is working with the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA) on the Agawam High School Building project. The MSBA is a quasi-independent government agency that funds capital improvement projects in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts’ public schools. The MSBA “work[s] with local communities to create affordable, sustainable, and energy-efficient schools across Massachusetts.” It has a dedicated revenue stream of one penny of the Commonwealth’s 6.25 percent sales tax. Since 2004, the MSBA has made more than $15.6B in reimbursement payments to school districts for school construction projects.

The project replaces and renovates portions of the existing sprawling high school into a more compact and interconnected campus that better serves both the internal Agawam High School community as well as the broader community of the Town of Agawam. The high school is arranged into two overall groupings: an academic wing and community wing. The academic wing is organized into three two-story pods that each have classrooms and labs encircling a central collaboration atrium which is anchored by a satellite media center on the first floor. The community wing is comprised of large scale and communally-focused spaces such as the cafeteria, auditorium, gymnasiums and central media center. The campus also includes space for the Town of Agawam’s Pre-K program in a renovated portion of the existing building.

If the City Council votes down the resolutions, or the voters vote down the debt exclusion, Agawam would have to start over when the next round of MSBA funds becomes available. This project is the culmination of a process that began with an application submitted 12 years ago.

If the Town is not able to meet its share of the Scope and Budget Agreement the MSBA will typically close the project and the district will be required to submit a new Statement of Interest to the MSBA and await a new invitation to enter the Eligibility Period phase of the MSBA’s Core Program. Because of the backlog of projects waiting to enter the Core Program it can take 5+ years to restart the process. If a second SOI invitation is granted to Agawam for a second high school project, the MSBA will not participate in the cost of the Feasibility Study and Schematic Design.

• The Commonwealth through the MSBA is reimbursing Agawam up to $99.5 million

• Risk not obtaining MSBA approval to re-enter the program for approximately 10 - 15 years

• MSBA typically receives 50 - 75 Statements of Interest (SOI's) per year

• Agawam first applied to the MSBA program 11 years ago and it took us 3 attempts to be invited into the process

• Agawam would have to repeat feasibility study and incur additional costs (current study cost Agawam over $500,000)

• Current Projected Cost of $231.5M will escalate to an estimated cost over $300M in ten years based on average public

construction escalation costs of 3.24% per year per historical data

• Risk NEASC accreditation of Agawam High School

• We need to implement 21st Century teaching and learning now

• Significant deferred maintenance is needed now at Agawam High School

• Outdated and antiquated HVAC equipment and Roof replacement needed now at Agawam High School

• Required facility improvements to the existing building will not improve the delivery of education

• New facility will achieve parity with similar neighboring districts

• A quality public school system is critical component in supporting home values in the community

• Possible reduction in property values if our high school loses NEASC accreditation

• Project will preserve Agawam as a desirable community to live, work and raise a family

• Opportunity to include Pre-K/Early Childhood Center as part of the high school project

• New high school will be an accessible facility for students, faculty, parents and community

• Improved community resource with shared public spaces

No, the students will be in the current AHS during construction. During Phase 01 – Community Wing construction, the entire school will remain online. During Phase 02 – Academic Wing construction, the existing academic areas remain online and the shop classrooms will be moved to their permanent location in the Community Wing.

If the town votes yes for a new AHS project, construction is planned to start in 2025 and take 38 months to complete.

The estimated impact on the average single family tax bill (based on a home with an assessed value of $335,714) for the construction of the new high school is an average of between $465 and $488 per year (depending on municipal bond interest rates) for the life of the bond payments. If the town does not choose to build a new high school, the estimated impact on the average single family tax bill (based on a home with an assessed value of $335,714) for the necessary repairs and renovations to the existing high school is an average of between $340 and $353 per year (depending on municipal bond interest rates) for the life of the bond payments.

According to a recent research paper entitled Effectiveness and Efficiency of School Capital Investments Across the U.S. which was conducted by researchers from the Yale School of Management, the Public Policy Institute of California and Stockholm University that was published in 2023, “the approval of a bond increases ... house prices by 7% 5-8 years after an election in the average U.S. district. Taken at face value, these estimates indicate that investing in school facilities is beneficial ... and valued by the community more than the required increase in local taxes.”

Every taxpayer in Agawam has to make a decision to either build a new high school or continue to invest in the existing high school facility. If we build a new high school, the state will provide almost $100 million to assist in the construction; it will provide Agawam with a state of the art new modern educational facility; it will result in higher property values; and it will ensure Agawam High School maintains its NEASC accreditation. If we choose to invest in the existing high school facility, we will not receive any financial assistance from the state; we will not be able to address the educational deficiencies at the high school; and we risk our NEASC accreditation. Given that all of our neighboring communities have invested in new high schools, the choice to not build a new high school in Agawam will likely result in a decrease in property values.

The cost difference for the average single family taxpayer between building a new high school and making the necessary investments to keep our existing high school going for another 20 years is about $120 per year or $10 per month.

It is simply not cost effective to bring the current gymnasium portion of the high school up to current code, especially the current energy building code. It is less expensive to construct new space. The current high school has a very large footprint which makes getting from one part of the building to another extremely difficult during the passing times between periods. The design of the new building is more compact and will provide for adequately sized hallways to allow students greater ease in passing between classes.

The plans for the new high school do not include a pool. The Massachusetts School Building Authority does not participate financially in the construction of new pools. The pool at the Junior High School is in good shape and meets the needs of the high school swim teams.

The public schools in Agawam are not in bad shape. The town has maintained them well over the years. The high school needs a new roof and a new HVAC system. In addition, it needs substantial updates to meet current educational needs. It is simply unwise to continue to invest in the current facility which will extend its current useful life another 20 years when the state is willing to give us nearly $100 million to build a new state of the art facility which will have a useful life of 50 years or more. As part of the feasibility study for the high school project, all the schools were inspected and found to be in good shape. The town will continue to provide the necessary maintenance to keep them in good shape. The last school that Agawam built was opened in 1973.