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2016-04-18-AC-STM4-rpt
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2016-04-18-AC-STM4-rpt
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12/14/2022 4:20:13 PM
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2016
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Appropriation Committee
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Town Clerk
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Town Meeting APPROPRIATION COMMITTEE REPORT TO THE SPECIAL TOWN MEETING 2016-4 (Part 1 )
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APPROPRIATION COMMITTEE-STM 2016-4(PART 1) <br /> Special Town Meeting 2016-4 <br /> Analysis and Recommendations <br /> The Warrant for Special Town Meeting 2016-4 contains three Articles of interest to the Committee, two <br /> of which are discussed below. <br /> Article 2016-4.2: Bond Approval — Minuteman Regional High School <br /> Funds Requested Funding Source Committee Recommendation <br /> None N/A Approve (7-0-1) <br /> This Article seeks Town Meeting's approval of the Minuteman Regional School District's use of debt to <br /> fund the construction of a new school building. Although Town Meeting's approval is not explicitly re- <br /> quired, because inaction would be taken as tacit approval under the Regional Agreement, the Board of <br /> Selectmen have opted to notify Town Meeting and seek a formal vote due to the 30-year impact of the <br /> expected debt service on the Town operating budget. <br /> Background <br /> The Minuteman Regional High School (MRHS) is an independent vocational and technical high school <br /> governed by a regional school district with ten member towns', including Lexington. <br /> MRHS has graduated hundreds of Lexington high school students using an alternative style not available <br /> in the Lexington Public Schools. The school continues to adapt its technical and vocational offerings, <br /> keeping them relevant to the needs of the local economy. A high percentage of the students are in Instruc- <br /> tional Education Programs, nevertheless it is common for graduates to pursue college education. Despite <br /> this history of success, this school is operating within a physical plant that can no longer be economically <br /> sustained, and this fact alone is threatening its academic accreditation. <br /> The District issues annual assessments to its member towns to cover the costs of running and maintaining <br /> the school. Assessments are calculated each year based on a formula in the current MRHS Regional <br /> Agreement, which Town Meeting recently approved under Article 2 of Special Town Meeting 2016-1. <br /> Lexington's assessment for MRHS appears as "Line 1200 —Regional Schools" in the Town's annual op- <br /> erating budget. <br /> Existing Building <br /> The existing school building, which first opened in 1975, suffers from design, code and construction <br /> problems cited in multiple engineering reports. It does not meet modern fire and building codes, and fails <br /> many handicap accessibility standards. Due to a long backlog of deferred maintenance, there are problems <br /> with the roof, exterior shell, electrical systems,plumbing systems,ventilation, egress and parking lots. <br /> These problems have jeopardized the school's educational accreditation. The New England Association <br /> of Schools and Colleges (NEASC) cited multiple deficiencies in the facilities. In December 2012, <br /> ' Membership of the MRHS District is currently in transition. Technically, the MRHS still has 16 member <br /> communities, but as part of the negotiations to approve the recently amended Regional Agreement, six <br /> members will withdraw from the District at the end of the next fiscal year (June 30, 2017). Only the ten <br /> remaining communities will receive capital assessments for the MRHS reconstruction. <br /> 2 <br />
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