Field School Project Raises Taxes — and Some Questions

As the wealthiest town in Massachusetts, Weston appears to have no problems voting in and funding major building projects in recent years.

Last year, it was a that cost $13.5 million. Early in 2011: high school science labs, for $730,000 price. And in 2007, $700,000 for projects at the Country and Woodland schools.

But this fall, the Field School is up for reconstruction, with a price tag of $30.8 million. The and isn't up to current code standards.

For a town that values its excellent school rankings and test scores, funding for a new school to replace the old one seems like a no-brainer. But for some Weston residents, that just isn't so.

"It's as if some people think money grows on trees," said Henry Viles, a lifelong resident of Weston who has expressed reservations about allocating the money to build the new school. 

"There has so far been no mention that the Field School financing will raise the Town's total debt to an all-time high"

From his perspective, he sees people move into Weston for a short time period, vote to spend money on the schools, and then move away, leaving the debt burden on longtime and elderly residents.

Viles said he's also concerned about the current economic woes in Europe trickling down to Weston. The town has been largely remained unscathed by the national recession, though there are lingering concerns that, after the United States' credit rating was downgraded, Weston's could be, too.

"In this economy, I don't know," he said.

Steps to a New Field School

The arguments in favor of building—or rebuilding—a new Field School have been a topic of many School Committee meetings in the past year. The original building was built in the 1950s and is showing its age—cracks in the walls, expensive maintenance costs and outdated structures that don't jibe with modern teaching methods.

“It’s time now to move from a pedagogy that was embraced in the 1950s to one that will take your students and prepare them for their life. It can’t be done in the four walls we have today,” said Field School Principal Matt Lucey at a School Committee meeting in March.

While architect , the committee and the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA), which approves and allocates state funding for school building projects, the most cost-efficient option would be to . The proposed building would be placed closer to the Weston Public Library and overlook Alphabet Lane instead of School Street. (You can see a picture of the proposed location on the right).

The around the new school building and library would also be changed, though any plans for further traffic measures on the Case Campus, where the Field School, library, school administration building and Community Center are located, are the subject for future studies.

A detailed timeline of the history leading up to these decisions can be found at the Weston Public Schools' website.

So with the approval of the School Committee and the MSBA, the next step is for Weston voters to approve funding. Costs, as they stand now, are estimated to be $30.8 million, according to the School Committee. The MSBA plans to grant the town $8.6 million, but the town must allocate the full amount before reimbursement, as required by law.

In order for the funding to be allocated, the town must jump through two hoops: A special town election this Saturday, Nov. 12, and a Special Town Meeting on Monday, Nov. 14. The ballot for the town election features just the one question on the Field School funds; a majority must pass in order for the funding to go through. At Special Town Meeting, a two-thirds majority must pass the measure on the funding allocation, as well.

If both measures do not pass, the town risks losing funding from the MSBA and the future of the Field School would be in doubt. 

What Funding the Project Means

It is those costs mentioned above that most concern Patricia Siek, a 50-year Weston resident who put four children through the school system.

"The proposed school is too expensive for this difficult economic time," she wrote in an email to Weston Patch, saying there was "no sure end" to the current economic problems. 

For the average home in Weston, valued at $1.011 million, funding the Field School would increase taxes from $12,063 in fiscal 2012 to $14,015 in fiscal 2016, according to data the Finance Committee presented at an Oct. 25 presentation at Town Hall on the Field School project. [Editor's note: The following two sentences have been added at 1 p.m. on Thursday]: These numbers include the existing debt service, as well normal annual increases for services, and the proposed Field School debt, which would average out to $266 per year for the average home. 

Over 20 years, the portion of taxes devoted to paying off the Field School debt would decrease annually (see the charts at right for more detail).

But even incremental increases in property taxes don't sit well with Siek.

"We were told public buildings should last for 50 years. Divide 50 years into the total of $38 million (the state monies come out of our pockets too) without furnishings, computers etc. and the redesign of a portion of the Country School (more millions) makes this [totally] prohibitive," she wrote. [Editor's note: Sieks is adding the MSBA grant ($8.6M) to the town's portion of the debt ($30.8M). The MSBA will reimburse the town $8.6M, leaving the total debt to the town at $22.2M]

Both Viles and Siek said they can see how the Field School needs some work, but question the timing of this project in light of the current economy.

Bill Sandalls, another longtime resident of Weston, is also concerned about the timing and the overall financial burden.

"I am not opposed to the project on its intrinsic merits… My concerns are about the financing of the project," Sandalls wrote in an email to Patch.

Funding the project would mean adding even more to Weston's overall debt, and doesn't take into account future spending projects the town has on the horizon, such as a new police station, buying the and an overall development plan for the Case Campus. 

"There has so far been no mention that the Field School financing will raise the Town's total debt to an all-time high," said Sandalls.

Whatever ends up happening, Viles said he just hopes that, should the project funding pass, it won't negatively affect Weston's credit rating or prevent the town from effectively responding to a huge natural disaster or worse.

"In this economy, I don't know," he said.

PTO President Liz Hochberger has submitted a blog post with more information about the voting, .

You can find more articles from this ongoing series, “Dispatches: The Changing American Dream” from across the country at The Huffington Post.