What To Know About Stoneham's Special Election For Northeast Metro Tuesday

STONEHAM, MA — Voters across a dozen communities will decide Tuesday whether to approve construction of a new $317 million vocational school in Wakefield.

A special election regarding the fate of the Northeast Metro Tech project will be held from 11 a.m.-6 p.m. at Town Hall. Voters in Melrose, Wakefield, Malden, Reading, Woburn, North Reading, Winchester, Chelsea, Revere, Saugus and Winthrop will also be moving in their respective cities and towns.

At stake is the construction of a state-of-the-art project district officials say is sorely needed to replace the more the 54-year-old school.

A "yes" vote would allow the district to accept a $140.8 million grant from the Massachusetts School Building Authority.

Now's The Time For A New School: Northeast Metro Officials

If the measure passes Tuesday, each community will be responsible covering the balance of the cost. Each community would pay the same per pupil, with its share being determined by how many students attend the school.

As of October, Stoneham sends 80 students to the school — 6.25 percent of its overall enrollment. That comes out to $11,027,054 over a 30-year period after the MSBA grant, not factoring in interest.

The school would be scheduled to open for the 2025-26 school year.

The special election was triggered when two other sending communities — Saugus Town Meeting and Chelsea City Council — refused to support it, citing cost concerns.

The building will allow the school to increase its enrollment by 26 percent, from 1,270 to 1,600. That is expected to dramatically shorten the district's waitlist, which is about 400 students annually.

The current building has not had any significant renovations, additions or improvements since its construction in 1968.

The biggest issues facing Northeast Metro are overcrowding, an inability to accommodate IEPs, outdated facilities and programming and failing mechanical and electrical systems, according to the school.

The project is being partially funded by the Massachusetts School Building Authority, which helps support capital improvement projects. The MSBA will put up between $110 million to $140 million, with final costs still being finalized in the Schematic Design Report.

The new Northeast Metro would bring the school into ADA compliance and make it able to offer expanded programs and IEP accommodations. It would also include a new primary access road from Farm Street to help with traffic, outdoor learning, a new cafeteria, auditorium and gym and more.

The question can be seen below:

VOTED: That the Northeast Metropolitan Regional Vocational School District Committee hereby appropriates the amount of $317,422,620 for the purpose of paying costs of designing, engineering, constructing and equipping the New Northeast Metropolitan Regional Vocational School and related athletic facilities located at 100 Hemlock Drive in Wakefield, MA 01880 including the payment of all costs incidental or related thereto (the "Project"), which school facility shall have an anticipated useful life as an educational facility for the instruction of school children of at least 50 years and for which the District may be eligible for a school construction grant from the Massachusetts School Building Authority ("MSBA"), said amount to be expended at the direction of the Northeast Metropolitan Regional Vocational School Committee. To meet this appropriation the District is authorized to borrow said amount, under and pursuant to Chapter 703 of the Acts of 1962, as amended, the District Agreement, as amended, or pursuant to any other enabling authority. The District acknowledges that the MSBA's grant program is a non-entitlement, discretionary program based on need as determined by the MSBA, and any Project costs the District incurs in excess of any grant approved by and received from the MSBA shall be the sole responsibility of the District; provided further that any grant that the District may receive from the MSBA shall not exceed the lesser of (I) seventy-six and eighty-four one hundredths percent (76.84%) of eligible, approved Project costs, as determined by the MSBA, or (2) the total maximum grant amount determined by the MSBA, and that the amount of borrowing authorized pursuant to this vote shall be reduced by any grant amount set forth in the Project Funding Agreement that may be executed between the District and the MSBA. No amounts shall be borrowed pursuant to this vote in the event that a member city or town of the District shall express disapproval of the debt authorized by this vote within sixty (60) days of the date of adoption of this vote.

FURTHER VOTED: That within seven (7) days from the date on which this vote is adopted the Secretary be and hereby is instructed to notify the city council of each city and the board of selectmen of each town comprising the District as to the amount and general purposes of the debt herein authorized, as required by the District Agreement and by Chapter 703, Section 6( d), of the Acts of 1962, as amended.