In the Statement of Interest submitted to the MSBA in April 2022, the Brockton School district cited several concerns with the existing school such as the condition of the builing jeopardizing the health and safety of the children, severe overcrowding due to increased enrollments, potential loss of accredidation, and the need for modernizing the facilities. All these issues and more will be thoroughly studied during the Feasibility Study to come up with the best option for the City, the school, faculty and students.

The current building opened in 1968. Approaching 60 years old, the building has major deficiencies including:

• It does NOT have a sprinkler system.
• The exterior “envelope” does NOT meet energy codes, meaning taxpayers are paying more to heat and cool the building than necessary.
• The roof has a lack of insulation, plus ponding and leaking, which is damaging interior materials.
• The majority of the building – including lecture halls, bathrooms, the auditorium and balcony seating, the pool, and building entrances – is NOT HANDICAP ACCESSIBLE – making it noncompliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act.
• Emergency exit staircases are not enclosed in fire-rated construction.
• Maximum floor area exceeds code.
• Heating and cooling systems are original to the building and no longer function properly. Many of the parts needed are no longer available, making constant repairs difficult and costly.
• Science labs are outdated.
• The building no longer meets the needs of modern learning styles because it lacks flexible and adaptive learning spaces for collaboration, quiet study and hands-on project work. A new Brockton High School will address current deficiencies and more.

Current conditions put the health and safety of our students and staff at risk.  Because of these reasons, and more, Brockton High School risks losing accreditation.

The School Building Committee (SBC) is committed to an inclusive, transparent process. As the project progresses, there will be considerable opportunities for public input and community engagement, including stakeholder surveys and public meetings. The project website has information to stay informed, such as relevant news articles, meeting agendas, minutes and presentations from all public meetings. The project website will be updated regularly as new information is available.

DSP – Designer Selection Panel

PDP – Preliminary Design Program

PSR – Preferred Schematic Report

FS – Feasibility Study

SD – Schematic Design

DD – Design Development

While acknowledging Brockton High School is outdated, The Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA) gave the district passing marks for the building’s current maintenance standards, despite its out-of-date systems. Maintenance is not at fault.  Some of the issues created by normal aging over almost six decades include:

• Leaks have damaged ceiling tiles.
• Wood framed walls, which are not allowed by current codes.
• Most floor tiles contain asbestos.
• The gym floor is in poor condition.
• HVAC, electrical and plumbing systems continuously break down causing frequent and costly repairs.

A new Brockton High School is estimated to cost $800 million with the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA) providing approximately $440 million, leaving Brockton taxpayers to fund the remaining $360 million.  The approximate cost to Brockton homeowners is $188 a year over a 10-year period.  This was calculated using the median home value of $488,000. We have more detailed information, including a tax-estimate calculator, below in the “Financial FAQs” section. 

The MSBA is a quasi-government agency that funds the building and renovation of schools in the Commonwealth.  The MSBA works with school districts to create affordable, sustainable, and energy-efficient schools across the state.  The MSBA is funded through a dedicated revenue stream of one penny of the state’s 6.25 percent sales tax. Since 2004, the MSBA has made more than $18 billion in reimbursement payments to Massachusetts school districts.

To renovate and bring the current building up to code will cost an estimated $460 – $500 million, but the MSBA does not reimburse districts for renovating old schools. The MSBA has committed as much as $400 million to build a new high school.  

Further, it will take approximately 5 years (60 months) to construct a new BHS, compared to about 9 years (108+ months) to renovate and bring the current BHS up to code. Renovating means no new programs or expansion of existing programs, no upgrades to equipment or the building exterior. Renovating will not improve the educational needs of our students.

A total of seven options were presented to the MSBA after approximately 20 models were  initially considered. These options include renovation, new construction, combining new areas with renovating existing ones, and all new construction. 

After considering all options, the MSBA decided that building a new school, and renovating the current auditorium and pool, was the best path forward and the most fiscally responsible plan.  This is the only plan the MSBA will fund. Choosing another option would make Brockton taxpayers responsible for the entire project cost.

A recent study of students who learn in new school buildings compared to older buildings points to very common-sense findings:

• Modernization boosts school enrollment.
• Students who learn in a new school have improved test scores in mathematics and English Language Arts over time.
• Modern schools outperformed non-modernized schools in the key areas of thermal comfort, air quality, acoustics and light.
• Modern schools outperformed non-modernized ones in the areas of school presence, building organization, sense of community, perceived safety, and more.

The new Brockton High School will also address safety concerns involving the current lack of sprinkler systems as well as how the staff, Brockton High School’s police force, and Brockton Police Department are able to respond to emergency situations.

The new Brockton High School will be built adjacent to the current building.  The current auditorium and the pool buildings will be renovated to feel like new spaces. Both will be modernized, made handicap accessible, and brought up to code.

After demolition, that area will be converted to outdoor space, with a new main entrance, a school bus drop-off area and improved community access to the pool and auditorium.

The School Building Committee (SBC) consists of Mayor Rodrigues, Brockton Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Priya Tahiliani, BHS Principal Kevin McCaskill, and community members.

A no vote for the new high school means the city will not receive the roughly $440 million from the MSBA for a new Brockton High School. Brockton can reapply, but that process can take years, by which time the cost of building a new high school will have increased. In the meantime, the city will be forced to fund costly code upgrades necessary for Brockton High School to maintain its accreditation. These costs are estimated to cost between $460 million and $500 million.

Yes, but the MSBA has already determined the current plan of building a new high school – while renovating the auditorium and pool – is the best and most fiscally responsible path forward. There is a strong possibility the MSBA would not approve funding for a code renovation instead. In either case, the reapplication would not be possible for a number of years, pushing the start of construction on the renovation out even further. When you consider that construction costs typically increase by 4 to 8 percent every year, the final burden on Brockton taxpayers would be far more extreme.

The debt exclusion vote will take place sometime in late February/early March 2027. Brockton residents will vote to borrow funds for the design and construction of the new Brockton High School.

The project is expected to be completed in 2032.

Yes. One of the advantages of building a new high school, instead of renovating the existing 1968 building, is that there will be no disruption to student learning. As is the case with all MSBA projects, great care will be taken to ensure the safety of students and staff during the construction process.  In addition, construction will be in high gear during summer and other vacation periods to maximize efficiency.

In the very early planning stages, building two high schools was one of over 30 ideas that was considered and researched. It was overwhelmingly determined that building two high schools was the wrong choice. Here are some of the reasons why:

• The MSBA will only fund the building of one school. They have deemed the selected project to be the most cost effective and educationally appropriate model for Brockton students. If the School Building Committee decided to build two schools, Brockton taxpayers would have to pay for the entire cost of building two new schools, which is conservatively estimated at more than $400 million each, a cost will continue to rise with inflation.  Instead of paying an average tax increase of $188 per year for 10 years (based on the median home value of $488,000), Brockton taxpayers would be on the hook to pay at least $600 per year, if not more, for a 30-year period.
• The operational costs of running two high schools would be much higher than the cost of operating one school. There would be the need for more teachers, more staff, more custodians, not to mention additional transportation costs.
• Equity is critical. Building a second high school in Brockton means dividing the city.  How would that be determined?  Which part of the city would get a new high school first?  There would likely be a perception that one school is better than another based on location and demographics.
• A second site would need to be located and purchased, costing even more money.
• Brockton has a great amount of pride in the Boxer legacy. Splitting into two high schools would fracture that. We have seen that happen in other communities.  Who would get to keep the Boxer mascot and name?  One of the new schools? Neither school out of fairness?
• Our elementary and middle schools also need to be repaired. Building two high schools would mean less money for other schools.

 Brockton High School is large, but the four-house model allows for smaller schools within a larger community.  In listening sessions with Brockton High students, not one student mentioned that the school was too large or that they wished the school was smaller.

A new Brockton High School is estimated to cost $800 million or less. The final cost will be determined at the end of the Feasibility Study Schematic Design.  This will be submitted to the MSBA in December and approved sometime in February 2027.

The cost is determined through the work of the project manager, the designer, and the contractor, working with the oversight of the School Building Committee. The construction estimate, which is the largest component, was determined by two separate estimators (one for the designer, one for the contractor) working independently. These estimates were then reviewed together and reconciled to ensure all costs are captured within the estimate. Other costs, including contingencies, were estimated by the project manager based on similar projects.

It’s estimated homeowners will pay approximately $188 a year over a 10-year period for a median single-family home valued at $480,000. 

If voters say NO to the new high school, the city will determine how to fund an approximate 9-year renovation of Brockton High School to meet current codes and can retain its accreditation.

There are two options to fund such a renovation. The first is to re-enter the MSBA pipeline at step one, which will take several years during which the cost will likely escalate 4 to 8 percent per year. It’s important to note that Brockton is not guaranteed acceptance into the program.

The other option is to have Brockton fund the renovation entirely, without the use of MSBA funds, by issuing a 30-year bond. Repaying the bond would consume a substantial amount of the City’s capital budget each year, leaving less money for other school and city building projects, road and sidewalk repairs, parks and playgrounds, public safety vehicles, and water/sewer infrastructure maintenance and upgrades. It would impact teaching and learning as the renovations are carried out around students and teachers for about nine years.  Either way, taxpayers will still be responsible for repaying the debt at tax rates likely to be higher than what would be levied for building the new school.

The MSBA caps the amount it will reimburse school districts for renovating auditoriums  that have more than 750 seats. Brockton High School’s current auditorium seats 1,600 people and is used by various community organizations and groups which rely on this large performing arts space.  The auditorium is often rented out to different theater groups, dance schools, and others.  For these reasons the decision was made to keep the larger auditorium.  The MSBA also caps the amount it will put towards the renovation of the school’s gymnasium and will not fund the renovation of the swimming pool.

The MSBA receives one penny of every dollar the state collects from the 6.25 percent sales tax.  The MSBA does not receive any federal funding, so there is no risk cuts at the federal level would impact this project.

The estimated $188 annual increase over a 10-year period is substantially lower than what taxpayers in other communities are paying over a 30-year period. In fact, taxpayers in some communities are paying as much as six times what Brockton taxpayers will be asked to pay.

Here’s a look at the tax impact on several other Massachusetts cities and towns:

• New Bedford/ Congdon-DeValles Elementary School: $300 per-year
• Haverhill/ Constentino Middle School: $350 per year
• Salem/ High School: $700 per year
• East Bridgewater/ Central Elementary School: $840 per year
• Burlington/ High School: $1,152 per year
• Berkley/ Community School: $1250 per year

The MSBA determines how much it will reimburse communities for the projects it funds through a need-based, competitive process after reviewing detailed documentation provided by the school district.  It is estimated that the MSBA will provide between 50 and 60 percent of the cost of a new Brockton High School.

It’s expected that taxpayers will see the tax increase from the debt-exclusion by the 2029 tax year.

The tax impact increases every year.  This is the estimated tax increase over the 10-year span of the project using the median home value of $488,000:

• Year 1 and 2: $8.24
• Year 3: $28.85
• Year 4: $86.56
• Year 5: $169.00
• Year 6: $276.18
• Years 7, 8, and 9: $321.79
• Year 10: $335.53

The following measures are built into the current project cost to avoid having to seek a second debt exclusion should project costs exceed what has been estimated:

• The project has been estimated very conservatively.
• The construction estimate includes assumptions for escalation and other construction contingencies equal to more than 10 percent of the total budget.
• The estimate also includes close to $40 million in additional contingency funding.
• Two additional estimates will occur before the project goes to bid. These estimates will provide opportunities for cost savings, if necessary, to align the project with the proposed project cost.
• The City will continue to pursue grant and non-property tax revenue opportunities to lessen the amount needed from property taxpayers.

Yes. The tax increase for a debt exclusion applies to all property types – residential, commercial, industrial, and personal property.

A new Brockton High School is estimated to cost $800 million with the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA) providing approximately $440 million, leaving Brockton taxpayers to fund the remaining $360 million.  The approximate cost to Brockton homeowners is $188 a year over a 10-year period, based on the median home value of $488,000.  The timetable for building a new high school is 5.5 years from the date the project is green-lighted.

In comparison, base repairs to the current Brockton High School are estimated to take at least nine years to complete and cost between $460 million and $500 million. This option does not qualify for any MSBA contribution, meaning Brockton taxpayers will be responsible for paying that entire amount.  The cost to taxpayers to build a new high school is approximately $100 million less than renovating the existing one.

Some Studies show that major construction projects in the average U.S. district not only could increase the test scores of the schools, but could also show an increase in property values on average 7% between 6-8 years after the bond was approved in an election.

The project team is seeking a Project Labor Agreement (PLA) for this project.  A study has found that this project is a good fit for a PLA and that building a new Brockton High School project would benefit by using a local workforce and creating apprenticeships.  As we are negotiating a PLA over the next year, we want to be clear that our goal is to employ a large number of workers from the City of Brockton.