Frequently Asked Questions

Project Basics (Continued)

  • Lexington's reputation for academic success and increasingly challenging educational standards at the State level have raised the expectations for the overall learning experience in Lexington Public Schools. These issues and rising enrollment have pushed the already outdated classroom spaces inside Lexington High School well beyond their capacity.

    At the High School level, the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA) recommends a minimum classroom size of 825 square feet to accommodate a class of 20 students (85% of maximum space utilization). On average, LHS classrooms are approximately 700 square feet, and in the 2023-2024 school year, the average class size was 18 students. In the five program concepts currently in development, the architects have accounted for an average classroom size of 850 square feet. goes here

  • An educational plan (ed plan) is a forward-looking document used by a school district to identify the structural and academic strengths, areas needing improvement, and long-term goals.

    The superintendent of Lexington Public Schools, Dr. Julie Hackett, guided the Educational Planning process, with lots of input from the Lexington High School administration, faculty, and staff, along with the many students, parents/caregivers, school committee, and community members who contributed to the district’s strategic and master plans. The current Educational Plan received unanimous approval from the School Committee in February 2024 and similar approval from the School Building Committee in May 2024.

    The Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA) requires districts looking to partner with them on constructing a new school to use an educational plan. An educational plan allows the district to work effectively with the Owner's Project Manager (OPM), design team, and local stakeholders throughout the project.

Project Cost (Continued)

  • The Capital Stabilization Fund (CSF) is a reserve fund that was established in 2013 to help fund future Capital Improvement Projects (CIPs).  The Town has set-aside revenues into this fund over the last 10+ years, specifically to offset the financial burden of a large capital projects on the Town’s taxpayers. In 2022, the Town began diverting all new tax revenue growth from specific commercial and industrial developments into the CSF annually. Current cost estimates for the construction of a new high school, and the associated increase in property taxes, do not include mitigation from the CSF. The CSF currently has a balance of $32M, and an additional $4M has been allocated to the fund for FY2025. This fund is expected to be applied to further reduce the cost of this project to the taxpayers.

    The fund has previously been applied to mitigate the impact on taxpayers for projects such as the new Hastings School, the new Fire Department Headquarters, and the recently completed Police Station.

  • Under the State’s Proposition 2 ½ law, municipalities are limited to an annual property tax increase of 2.5%. They can go beyond that limit if one of two things occur: An operating override or a debt exclusion.

    A debt exclusion allows a municipality to temporarily raise its property tax rate to pay debt service costs on municipal bonds associated with a large capital project. This increase can only be applied through the maturity of the bond, and reverts once fully paid-down.

    An operating override is a permanent increase in the tax levy over and above Proposition 2 ½ to pay for the Town’s ongoing operations.

  • The Massachusetts School Building Authority (MBSA) operates a “pay-as-you-build” reimbursement system. The MSBA allows districts to submit eligible project costs for reimbursement during construction. The MSBA audits every submission to verify eligible costs, then typically issues a payment within 15 days of receiving the request.

    This benefits communities because they don’t need to borrow an amount of money equal to the entire cost of the project, reducing the amount of debt incurred and interest accrued by the City, Town, or district.

    All projects start with a base reimbursement rate of 31 percentage points. That number fluctuates up or down based on a number of factors. The Town of Lexington expects to receive a reimbursement rate between 13% and 17% of the total project cost. Read more about the MSBA’s reimbursement rate calculations.

→ Return to Section 2: Project Cost

Project Design (Continued)

  • Right now, the Central Office for Lexington Public Schools Administration operates inside the former Harrington Elementary School, near the Lowell Street and Maple Street intersection. All six massing studies under consideration include plans to move the Central Office into a space within the new Lexington High School. There are several reasons for this:

    • The former Harrington Elementary School building needs extensive renovations to address structural and mechanical issues. The estimated construction cost of that renovation is between $15 million and $19 million. This estimate is similar to the expected cost of including the Central Offices in the new High School.

    • With the Central Office relocated, the Town can demolish the former Harrington Elementary School and use the land to construct new athletic fields.

    • Temporary space to support Central Office operations at 173 Bedford Street was approved by Town Meeting in 2024 and will allow the removal or renovation of the former Harrington school to proceed in 2025.

    • The current design proposals allocate 17,000 square feet of space for the Central Offices inside a new LHS. It could be converted into approximately 15 to 20 classrooms if the school's enrollment were to increase beyond the capacity of the new building.

    Further explanation of the proposal to include the Central Offices in a plan for the new High School can be found in a memo issued by the Superintendent of Schools, Dr. Julie Hackett, on May 15, 2024.

  • A newly constructed High School would be required to follow Lexington Bylaws Chapter 115: Specialized Energy Code and Chapter 106: Regulation of Fossil Fuel Infrastructure. This means it would be an all-electric building, and no fossil fuel-burning infrastructure would be used. 

    Additionally, Bylaw Chapter 135 Section 5.1 Parking Regulations would mandate a certain amount of electric vehicle parking availability and an appropriate number of charging stations. 

    The project would also be heavily influenced by the Integrated Building Design & Construction Policy. This document outlines the policy for achieving high-performance standards for health, energy, and resilience in Town building projects.

    See a simplified breakdown of sustainability and resilience features included in current design options.

  • Article 97 of the Massachusetts Constitution protects certain publicly owned lands used for conservation or recreation purposes. To sell, transfer, or convert Article 97 lands to a different use requires a 2/3 vote of the Town Meeting, as well as a roll-call 2/3 vote of each chamber of State Legislature.

Project Team (Continued)

  • Right now, the Central Office for Lexington Public Schools Administration operates inside the former Harrington Elementary School, near the Lowell Street and Maple Street intersection. All six massing studies under consideration include plans to move the Central Office into a space within the new Lexington High School. There are several reasons for this:

    • The former Harrington Elementary School building needs extensive renovations to address structural and mechanical issues. The estimated construction cost of that renovation is between $15 million and $19 million. This estimate is similar to the expected cost of including the Central Offices in the new High School.

    • With the Central Office relocated, the Town can demolish the former Harrington Elementary School and use the land to construct new athletic fields.

    • Temporary space to support Central Office operations at 173 Bedford Street was approved by Town Meeting in 2024 and will allow the removal or renovation of the former Harrington school to proceed in 2025.

    • The current design proposals allocate 17,000 square feet of space for the Central Offices inside a new LHS. It could be converted into approximately 15 to 20 classrooms if the school's enrollment were to increase beyond the capacity of the new building.

    Further explanation of the proposal to include the Central Offices in a plan for the new High School can be found in a memo issued by the Superintendent of Schools, Dr. Julie Hackett, on May 15, 2024.

  • A newly constructed High School would be required to follow Lexington Bylaws Chapter 115: Specialized Energy Code and Chapter 106: Regulation of Fossil Fuel Infrastructure. This means it would be an all-electric building, and no fossil fuel-burning infrastructure would be used. 

    Additionally, Bylaw Chapter 135 Section 5.1 Parking Regulations would mandate a certain amount of electric vehicle parking availability and an appropriate number of charging stations. 

    The project would also be heavily influenced by the Integrated Building Design & Construction Policy. This document outlines the policy for achieving high-performance standards for health, energy, and resilience in Town building projects.

    See a simplified breakdown of sustainability and resilience features included in current design options.

  • Article 97 of the Massachusetts Constitution protects certain publicly owned lands used for conservation or recreation purposes. To sell, transfer, or convert Article 97 lands to a different use requires a 2/3 vote of the Town Meeting, as well as a roll-call 2/3 vote of each chamber of State Legislature.

Recreation

The School Building Committee has received many questions from the community regarding how this project will impact the Recreation fields adjacent to the footprint of the existing High School. Not all questions can be answered at this time. We encourage you to review the information available and submit any questions you don’t see on this list.

  • We anticipate the Town Pool Complex, playground, Center Recreation turf/track, tennis, and basketball courts will remain open and available to the public during the project.

Other Questions Received

  • What groups, teams, and organizations will be impacted while this space is offline?

  • What, if any, alternative recreational spaces are being considered?

  • What is the timeline of the fields being offline for the geothermal well installation?

  • How will the Schools and Town provide level services for the programs that take place at Center Recreation natural grass fields?

  • Will the Project Budget support the costs to renovate the fields post staging operations for 4-6 years?