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APPROPRIATION COMMITTEE - STM 2016 -4 (PART 1) Special Town Meeting 2016 -4 Analysis and Recommendations The Warrant for Special Town Meeting 2016 -4 contains three Articles of interest to the Committee, two of which are discussed below. Article 2016 -4.2: Bond Approval — Minuteman Regional High School Funds Requested Funding Source Committee Recommendation None N/A Approve (7 -0 -1) This Article seeks Town Meeting's approval of the Minuteman Regional School District's use of debt to fund the construction of a new school building. Although Town Meeting's approval is not explicitly re- quired, because inaction would be taken as tacit approval under the Regional Agreement, the Board of Selectmen have opted to notify Town Meeting and seek a formal vote due to the 30 -year impact of the expected debt service on the Town operating budget. Background The Minuteman Regional High School (MRHS) is an independent vocational and technical high school governed by a regional school district with ten member towns', including Lexington. MRHS has graduated hundreds of Lexington high school students using an alternative style not available in the Lexington Public Schools. The school continues to adapt its technical and vocational offerings, keeping them relevant to the needs of the local economy. A high percentage of the students are in Instruc- tional Education Programs, nevertheless it is common for graduates to pursue college education. Despite this history of success, this school is operating within a physical plant that can no longer be economically sustained, and this fact alone is threatening its academic accreditation. The District issues annual assessments to its member towns to cover the costs of running and maintaining the school. Assessments are calculated each year based on a formula in the current MRHS Regional Agreement, which Town Meeting recently approved under Article 2 of Special Town Meeting 2016 -1. Lexington's assessment for MRHS appears as "Line 1200 — Regional Schools" in the Town's annual op- erating budget. Existing Building The existing school building, which first opened in 1975, suffers from design, code and construction problems cited in multiple engineering reports. It does not meet modern fire and building codes, and fails many handicap accessibility standards. Due to a long backlog of deferred maintenance, there are problems with the roof, exterior shell, electrical systems, plumbing systems, ventilation, egress and parking lots. These problems have jeopardized the school's educational accreditation. The New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC) cited multiple deficiencies in the facilities. In December 2012, 1 Membership of the MRHS District is currently in transition. Technically, the MRHS still has 16 member communities, but as part of the negotiations to approve the recently amended Regional Agreement, six members will withdraw from the District at the end of the next fiscal year (June 30, 2017). Only the ten remaining communities will receive capital assessments for the MRHS reconstruction. 2