Dec. 10, 2019 Special Town Election: What To Know

BROOKLINE, MA — Tuesday, Dec. 10 is Election Day in Brookline. That's right, if you've been seeing the red white and blue Town of Brookline signs and wondering what it's all about, it's a special town election called specifically to see if voters will approve a debt exclusion override (higher taxes) to fund the rebuilding of the Driscoll School. Although elected officials approved setting aside money for this if the voters agree, there's a vocal movement opposing the efforts.

Town Clerk Patrick Ward said he expects about a 15 percent voter turnout. For comparison. During the last town election in May the town saw a 26.5 percent voter turnout. That was 9,802 of the 37,179 registered voters showed up to vote.

There is only one question on the ballot:

"Shall the Town of Brookline be allowed to exempt from the provisions of proposition two and one-half, so called, the amounts required to pay the bonds issued in order to reconstruct and enlarge the existing school on the site of the Driscoll School property?"

Translation:

There's a state law that says municipalities cannot raise taxes more than 2.5 percent higher than the previous year unless they take it to the voters and voters approve. In this case, the town is asking residents to help pay for what it says is a major overdue renovation (though the existing building is expected to be torn down and a new building built in its place) of a school and to help begin to accommodate rising enrollment throughout the town.

What's it about:

The Driscoll School's enrollment though it's had its ups and downs has grown by more than 57 percent since 2006, according to the district.

The building was built in 1911, then in 1953, a wing was added to house kindergarten through fourth grade, with three class sections per grade. The building was renovated again in 1980, adding a new library and theater. A new gym was built in 1992, and a new cafeteria was built in the early 2000s. The entire school was made ADA accessible in 2002, according to a previous principal who opposes the project and override.

But, more than 30 Driscoll classrooms do not meet Massachusetts School Building Authority building guidelines, and 18 classrooms exceed Brookline's class size goal, according to the district. That combined with small common spaces, an HVAC that needs to be replaced, issues around pick up and drop off, space issues related to the nurses' office and janitorial space add up to a makeover, the district and proponents say.

On Nov. 19, Brookline Town Meeting Members voted 203 in favor (with 13 against) appropriating $115.3 million in construction funds to the Driscoll School Building Project as part of the Public School's long-term capital plan to address increasingly crowded classrooms and what they say are sub-standard school facilities.

Now the town is asking voters to approve funding the project through a debt exclusion override, or raising taxes higher than 2.5 percent from the previous year.

The project:
The building project would expand the current Driscoll School into a four-section building giving four classrooms per grade level, it would provide additional learning spaces for special education programs, and increase outdoor playspace by 24,500 square feet. It would be open for school in the fall of 2022, according to the school's project website.

Cost: $115.3 million (ish)

The proposed project would increase property tax bills by 3.5 percent, according to the proponent. Opponents point out that the current estimated cost of the project is $119.7 million.

By the calculations of the proponents:

• The median single-family home tax bill would increase by approximately $435/year.
• The median condominium unit tax bill would increase by approximately $140/year.
• The median commercial property tax bill would increase by approximately $1,067/year.

The town's math has it a little less:

But something to keep in mind: The town is also looking at three additional overrides for school buildings over the next eight to 10 years.

Driscoll will be followed by Pierce, and then a possible ninth elementary school, and then renovation and possible expansion of Baker.

"Estimating the cost is a bit of a game, but if the average cost per school is (not including support from the Mass. School Building Authority) is $125 million, the taxes on the average condo would go up by $630/year and the taxes on the average single family home would go up by $1,566, or about 13.6 percent," said Mike Sandman of the advisory committee. "Not including the annual 2.5 percent increase or any operating overrides."

It’s the total cost of this four-school package that made the Select Board and Advisory Committee want to cap Driscoll at $108 million, even at the cost of redesigning and losing a few months, he told Patch.

Read about property tax in town: Brookline Select Board Approves Higher Property Taxes (2019)

Exemptions:

There are several tax relief programs in town to help ease the burden for some. Each year the town sets a residential exemption, so those who live in their homes are eligible to deduct a couple hundred thousand dollars off their net worth as a way to promote owner occupancy.
If you own a home in Brookline and live here, you are eligible for this residential exemption the amount is $276,758 that amount is subtracted from your accessed value and the net is what you pay tax on.

The Yes Campaign:

Proponents say in addition to classroom spaces at the school being too small, the students needs have severely outgrown the school. A group of teachers at the school say the lunchroom is so small that students eat lunch in midmorning, instruction happens in the hallways, and parts of the building so cold that students have to wear their coats inside.

The HVAC had already needed a repair and with all the issues facing the school from part of the building being comprised of bricked-over modulars to janitorial issues (check this list), they say. A new building would be fossil free and add 150 seats of capacity and green space. It is more cost effective to rebuild rather than renovate, they argue.

Proponents also say construction costs increase each year by 8.4 percent, so the sooner the better. Proponents say this is an important step toward addressing overcrowding, in addition to renovations at Pierce and eventually building another k-8.

See the proponent's website for the rest of their take.

The No Campaign:

Opponents to the project argue that though the town uses the terms "renovate and expand" to describe the project they really mean tear down and rebuild (see video below). Opponents say they feel rebuilding would destroy a beautiful historic school. Some say the design has flaws, and will invite distracting noise, especially in the cafeteria. Others decry a parking shortage during construction.

Others argue the project does not add anywhere near enough classrooms needed to deal with town-wide overcrowding; only adding space for 135 students. And opponents are concerned that moving forward with such an expensive project without a guarantee that the district will address overcrowding elsewhere will threaten the future overrides that might entail. See the opponent's website for more on their take.

"Most critically, there is no town-wide, comprehensive plan to meet the needs of all our students and educators. There is no specific vision for what to build, where to build, when to build or how to build. Or how any of it will be paid for beyond ad-hoc overrides ad-infinitum into the future. The best the Yes side articulate is Driscoll + Pierce(?) + ? = ? . This is not a plan. Newton, for example, has a plan. We do not," wrote Dave Batista who is opposed to the override and lives in the Driscoll neighborhood.

The Driscoll School override vote comes just days after Chestnut Hill Realty announced construction on the first 201 new units will start in February. That means new families and students heading to school in the years to come. And although the school district has repeatedly acknowledged it needs to address increased school enrollment in South Brookline, since the plan to build a ninth school at Baldwin failed in May, several families say the plan is not detailed enough.

"I am not willing to approve a $120M tear-down / re-build of Driscoll as a default because there’s no plan for South Brookline, or because someone in override HQ says a No result would jeopardize MSBA partnership on Pierce," said Thall.

School committee members say they do have a plan and point to a vote they took in September.

"What I’m concerned about is that unless the voters can see that each project is designed with a careful eye on its cost, they may vote 'no' on the Pierce override that will come after Driscoll, or on the one after Pierce for a ninth K-8 school, or the one after that for reconstructing Baker," said Sandman. "The loss of any one override will be fatal to the overall plan to rebuild and provide adequate classroom capacity."

Got an opinion on this? Post it to Patch or comment below.

Background

Since 2005, the number of students coming through Brookline schools has grown to historic levels, according to the district website. The K-8 elementary schools have grown by 39 percent going from 3,904 students in 2006 to 5,442 students in 2019, which is equivalent to adding four schools into our existing schools in just nearly 15 years, the district said.

During the past decade, the district has studied potential sites for a new elementary school, divided classrooms and converted offices, locker rooms, and hallways into classrooms to add more space. They've rented private buildings; and built additions and added modular classes inside trailers. The strategy, which added 60 classrooms has been called "expand in place."

But the district was still growing, so, the school committee decided that adding a ninth school and possibly a tenth school might be the only solution. The years long process there ultimately failed when it went to voters to ask to raise taxes that would include money for both building a ninth elementary school at the controversial Baldwin site and rebuilding the Driscoll School.

In September the School Committee went back and changed plans slightly with a its Long-Term Capital Plan to renovate and expand the Pierce School through the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA) partnership, rebuild the Driscoll School, and then continue plans to build a new K-8 school at Brookline.

Voter Registration

If you haven't registered to vote with Brookline as your home base, it's too late to do that for this election. The last day to register was Nov. 20. Going forward, you can register online.

Absentee Voting

If you're out of town but still want to vote, you can apply for absentee ballots at the Town Clerk's Office in Town Hall this week and Saturday, December 7 from 9 a.m to 1 p.m. The last day to apply for an absentee ballot for this Special Town Election is Monday by noon.

Where do I vote?

Look it up here.

Polling places:

Polling places are open from 7 a.m. until 8 p.m.

Previously:

• Driscoll School Opinion: Vote Yes For Brookline's Future
• Brookline's Driscoll, Baldwin School Projects Move ... -
• Brookline Voters Reject Tax Override For Schools -
• Brookline Town Meeting Night 1: Stipends, Driscoll ...
• Brookline Select Board Approves Higher Property Taxes (2019)

4 Opinions on both sides:

• Teachers support Driscoll project (5 current and former teachers)
• Clearing Up Misconceptions On The Override (Scott Ananian)
• Let's Build Brookline's Future! (a poem by Mike Offner)
• Educator-leaders are voting YES (Mary McConnell, former Driscoll kindergarten teacher, and Robert Weintraub, former BHS headmaster.)

• Why You Should Vote No (Dave Batista)
• The importance of this moment ( Joe Ranft)
• Vote no on Dec. 10 - News - Brookline TAB ( Jackie Dupré )
• Vote no on Question 1 - News - Brookline TAB (Pam Lodish)

Other resources:

• The opponent's website.
• The proponent's website
• The School Department FAQ website.