​Will the Feasibility Study take into account updated population assessment, to size any proposed additions or new construction accordingly?

• The School Committee and the MSBA independently completed population estimate projections.  Both teams have agreed on updated population estimates for Millis that have been included in the Feasibility Study as part of the project sizing, enrollment estimates of 645 students for grades 6-12.

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Do we know whether we are renovating the Middle/High School, or constructing a new building or what type of building?

• Over a two-year period, the School Building Committee (SBC) evaluated both addition/renovation and new construction options as part of the MSBA Feasibility Study process. The SBC worked to actively seek community engagement along the way through a series of community forums that will provide information on the possible updates or improvements to the Middle/High School building.  In February 2025 the SBC, School Committee and Select Board all voted to recommend the preferred option AR4a which is an addition and renovation solution that builds a new middle school and gym wing then renovates the existing high school.

 

What is the MSBA Reimbursement rate for this project?

• Millis’ expected reimbursement rate for this project is 54.6% based on all incentives for which the project may qualify to receive.  While this is the reimbursement rate for the entire project, the MSBA does cap the amount of total dollars in some categories that are eligible for reimbursement.  The Millis ceiling for reimbursement was 59.08% and the SBC was able to keep the scope aligned with the core educational program and only dropped 4.48 percentage points.  Most other cities and towns drop 15 – 30% from their starting reimbursement rate to their effect reimbursement rate.   See the Cost tab on this website to see all the other middle high school project data pulled from the MSBA website and how high Millis maintained their reimbursement compared to their peer projects.

 

Why do we need an addition/renovation to the existing Middle/High School?

The current Middle/High School faces significant challenges:

• Building and Program Deficiencies:

  • Many classrooms are undersized and overcrowded.  Several ancillary spaces lacking proper ventilation are being used for instruction.

  • The current building is outdated, with spaces that don’t support modern learning experiences.

  • The current building lacks classrooms properly equipped for teaching the sciences.

• Deteriorating Infrastructure:

  • The building has poor insulation and inefficient HVAC system.

  • The electrical system is original, with needs that exceed the capacity of the system, and replacement parts are no longer manufactured. 

  • The current roof was installed over 30 years ago, is failing, and needs to be replaced.

  • Water infiltration through windows, doors and HVAC openings.

  • The building does not meet accessibility standards.

• Overcrowding and Population Growth:

  • The student population in town is increasing.  The existing school struggles to accommodate increased enrollment coming in from the Clyde Brown Elementary School now.  The timing of this project is important to address the students that will be in the middle school soon.

 

How would the proposed project benefit the town?

• The town will benefit from increased and improved educational space, a new gymnasium, adequate parking, improved traffic circulation and stopping further building deterioration.

• Modern energy-efficient building systems would reduce operational costs over time.

• The proposed project would provide greater building security, increasing student and staff safety.

• The proposed project will provide appropriately sized science classrooms built to current safety standards and amenities.

 

What is the significance of the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA) program and its participation with Millis?

• The MSBA was created by the State legislature in 2004 to replace the former school building assistance program administered by the Department of Education.  The MSBA uses a dedicated revenue stream of one penny from the 6.25% state’s sales tax to invest in school building projects throughout the state.  To enter the program, municipalities must apply by submitting a Statement of Interest (SOI) and then be selected by the MSBA on a need-based basis.  Once accepted into a Feasibility Study, the municipality is provided with an MSBA Reimbursement Rate based on income, property wealth, and poverty factors. 

• The Town of Millis has been granted a starting reimbursement rate of 59.08% for all eligible project costs.

 

What is the expected cost of the proposed Middle/High School project?

• The proposed addition/renovation project’s not to exceed budget is $125,000,000.  This includes a $68.2 million reimbursement from the MSBA which covers more than half of the project costs.

 

Why not an all-new replacement building project?

• Given the limited land area in Town, a new middle/high school would be built behind the existing high school triggering millions of extra dollars for replacement fields, track, stands as well as the loss of the existing fields for 3 – 4 years necessitating off site rental costs

• Construction costs have risen due to recent inflation and material price increases. New construction costs far outpace the MSBA’s reimbursement thresholds shifting a higher percentage of the project cost onto the town.

• MSBA-supported schools are expected to be durable, built to high quality, and last for 50 years or longer. With a renovation the Town can take on a large percentage of the upgrades with the project capital investment, but also phase future upgrades to allow using the remaining life left in building. components that don’t need to be upgraded at the time of the project.

• An all new building would be significantly more expensive than the addition and renovation option.  The SBC & MPS entered this program aiming to find the best value way to up grade the school's deteriorating facilities in a cost-conscious way that takes tax payer impact into account.

 

How will the town finance this project?

• If approved at the ballot, the town will finance the project by borrowing through a debt exclusion.

 

How will this impact my taxes?

• The tax impact to the average Millis home with an assessed value of $605,209 is $916.10 annually. Residents can calculate their specific tax impact by dividing their current assessed value by 1,000 then multiplying it by $1.513 to find the estimated tax impact. The long-term borrowing is anticipated to occur at the end of construction in 2029 so the first few years of BAN borrowing will be significantly lower than this amount.

 

What happens if the town does not approve funding for the project?

• Millis will not receive MSBA reimbursement.  The Town will exit the MSBA program and must reapply yearly.   This typically entails a 4 to7 year delay to address the buildings renovation or replacement.  When the Town is ready for a new feasibility study, then any new feasibility funding would need to be funded and paid by the town directly, with no MSBA reimbursement. 

• The Middle/High school will still have a need for costly repairs and potentially temporary modulars. The delay would increase the immediate needs of addressing the roof and windows which are already leaking.   This would likely come in a series of debt exclusion overrides to request fund to repair the leaking roof and other failing systems.

• Millis will eventually need to make mandatory ADA/Code compliance upgrades.

 

How will a school building project impact ongoing educational program?

• Should the town appropriate funds for the proposed building project, the new middle school addition will be constructed first.  The new addition along with the High school wing that will be demolished (at the conclusion of construction) will be used as temporary swing space as the remainder of the building is renovated. 

• Throughout construction, phasing will be planned strategically to complete the most disruptive activities over school vacations, and if needed, after-hours and weekends.  Once the renovations have been completed, the Southwestern wing will be demolished and the bus loop will be installed, followed by final landscape improvements.

 

What is the role of the School Building Committee (SBC) in this project?

• The SBC, required by the MSBA, oversees the project from planning to completion. The SBC is a committee built on top of the Towns standing Permanent Building Committee, but adds the School Committee member, school leadership and town leadership representatives that are prescribed to participate per MSBA guidelines.

• The SBC evaluates all the options, recommends the solution and ultimately is responsible for the execution of the project all the way to closeout.

 

How will the SBC keep the community involved and informed?

• Updates will be provided through the project website, community forums, and monthly public SBC meetings. Community input is encouraged to attend or review community forum slide shows stored on the project website.

 

When would the construction of the proposed building project commence, and when would the building be complete?

• Construction of the proposed project would commence in Spring of 2027, starting with the new Middle School Addition, to be completed in August of 2028.  Once the new building section is available for use as swing space, major renovations would begin, and the building would be complete by February Break of 2029.  The unrenovated section of the eastern classroom wing would be abated and demolished in Spring of 2029, and site work, roadways, and parking lots would be completed by the end of Summer 2029

 

Early Voting is an option starting on November 24th, 2025, in person at the Town Hall.

• Early voting for the Special Election is scheduled in Room 130 at the Veterans Memorial Building as follows:

  • Monday, November 24th  8:30 am - 7:30 pm

  • Tuesday, November 25th 8:30 am - 4:30 pm

  • Wednesday, November 26th 8:30 am - 12:00 pm

  • Thursday, November 27th - THANKSGIVING/Closed

  • Friday, November 28th - 9:00 am - 2:00 pm

  • Saturday, November 29th - 9:00 am - 2:00 pm

  • Monday, December 1st   8:30 am - 7:30 pm

  • Tuesday, December 2nd 8:30 am - 4:30 pm

  • Wednesday, December 3rd 8:30 am - 4:30 pm

  • Thursday, December 4th 8:30 am - 4:30 pm