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Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA) Project Partnership

The City of Somerville and Somerville Public Schools have partnered with the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA) to address major school building needs, including large-scale renovations and new construction. The partnership offers the City and the school district the potential to receive state funding to offset the cost of a school building project.  

We’ve worked with the MSBA before including the rebuild of Somerville High School. In 2023, we requested approval to apply for funding for two school renovation or rebuilding projects: the Winter Hill Community Innovation School and the Benjamin Brown School. We were invited by the MSBA to proceed with applying for funding for a project to renovate or rebuild the Winter Hill Community Innovation School. The MSBA declined to allow us to apply for this project or to fund a project to renovate or rebuild the Brown School. However, the MSBA gave Somerville the option to build one school that could serve the needs of both the Winter Hill School and the Brown School.

Learn More

Due to the high projected costs of major school building projects, the City relies on funding and support from outside sources, primarily the MSBA, to fund these projects. The MSBA provides a portion of eligible funds, and the City is responsible for funding the remainder of the project. To receive funding from the MSBA, the City must follow a series of required steps through multiple phases of a project. This page provides details and updates on current projects. As of December 2023, the City of Somerville and Somerville Public Schools are working with the MSBA to rebuild or fully renovate the Winter Hill Community Innovation School, which was unexpectedly closed in June 2023.  

To find details about our past project, Somerville High School, please visit www.shsproject.org

About MSBA

The Massachusetts School Building Authority (“MSBA”) funds capital improvement projects in the Commonwealth’s public schools as a quasi-independent government authority and strives to work with local communities to create affordable, sustainable, and energy efficient schools across Massachusetts. The MSBA opens a Statement of Interest period each year for districts seeking state assistance for proposed school projects. The MSBA reviews all Statements of Interest and advances a portion of eligible projects, at the discretion of MSBA staff, for further review. During this stage, MSBA staff conduct site visits and interviews with districts before making a final recommendation to the MSBA Board. The MSBA Board considers staff recommendations and conducts a final vote to invite districts into the MSBA funding process. 

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Flowchart titled “MSBA Modules Overview/Annual Cap” showing steps: Prep (district submits SOI), Eligibility Period (compliance, committee, planning, questionnaire, authorization), Scope Definition (forming project), Project Phases (feasibility study, schematic design, funding), Scope Monitoring (detailed design, construction, audit), Final Steps (post occupancy evaluation, project completion).

Current Status

Phase 1 of the MSBA process is the Eligibility Phase. This phase is up to 270 days, during which districts must complete a series of requirements. Somerville’s Eligibility Phase for the Winter Hill project began on March 4, 2024, and will end no later than November 29, 2024. Our required timeline is:

Eligibility Period Commences ― March 4, 2024

MODULE ONE - Eligibility Period

Deliverable

Days

Due Date and Status

Initial Compliance Certification

30

April 4, 2024
Approved
School Building Committee

60

May 3, 2024
Approved
Educational Profile Questionnaire

90

June 3, 2024
Completed
Online Enrollment Projection

90

June 3, 2024
Completed
Enrollment Meeting Held

180

August 30, 2024
Required
Maintenance and Capital Planning Information

180

August 30, 2024
Required
Local Vote Authorization

270

November 29, 2024
Required
Feasibility Study Agreement

270

November 29, 2024
Required

Eligibility Period Concludes ― November 29, 2024

Deliverables

Here are the requirements Somerville is working to meet by November 2024: 

Within 30 days (by April 4, 2024): 

  • Initial Compliance Certification. This is a document that will require three signatures (not votes): the Mayor, the Superintendent, and the Chair of the School Committee. COMPLETED:  March 20, 2024; APPROVED: April 2, 2024
  • Initial Compliance Certification Documentation 

Within 60 days (by May 4, 2024): 

  • Formation of School Building Committee. Complete and submit a standard membership form, with the MSBA’s minimum designations, signed by the Mayor. It will be reviewed and ultimately approved by the MSBA’s legal team. COMPLETED: May 3, 2024; APPROVED: May 7, 2024
  • School Building Committee Documentation

Within 90 days (by June 4, 2024): 

  • Submit Educational Profile Questionnaire (EPQ). This will provide context to our project, inform our enrollment process for the school, and help inform current facility challenges/needs and how the district envisions a future facility. COMPLETED: June 3, 2024 
  • Educational Profile Questionnaire (EPQ) Documentation
  • Online Enrollment Submissions (2). Submit enrollment data, housing data, and information about private schools within Somerville. Provide operational information, and consolidation information (if applicable). COMPLETED: June 3, 2024 

Within 180 days (by August 30, 2024): 

  • Agreement on Enrollment Certification. There will be an enrollment meeting scheduled where the MSBA will share projections, discuss project particulars, and come to an agreement on enrollment numbers. This will result in a letter and certification. Three signatures will be required from Somerville (not a vote): the Mayor, the Superintendent, and the School Committee Chair.
  • Provide Maintenance and Capital Planning Information. Report on historical maintenance practices. 

Prior to 270 days (November 29, 2024): 

  • Appropriation of Funds: A local vote is required for the Feasibility Study through Schematic Design. The MSBA will provide standard vote language. Funds are typically for hiring an OPM, designer, conducting environmental and site testing, and contingencies and related expenses. While the MSBA cannot tell districts how much to appropriate, they can provide data and specs from surrounding communities for similar project size and scope.

At the end of the Eligibility Phase, the MSBA Board will vote on whether to invite Somerville into the Feasibility Study period. The Feasibility Study phase has a term of 913 days - or a little over 30 months once an agreement is signed by both Somerville and the MSBA.

Each district invited into the MSBA process is assigned an MSBA project coordinator who will serve as the district’s point of contact for the life of the project. This will ensure a strong partnership with the MSBA, and provide clarity around questions and challenges that may arise throughout the project. 

School Building Committee + Advisory Group

The MSBA requires that districts in their funding program form a School Building Committee. The School Building Committee (SBC) will provide oversight of our ultimate project. The MSBA requires certain members on an SBC, however Somerville was approved by the MSBA to add four additional community volunteers to serve on our SBC. The SBC membership was to the MSBA in May. 
 
In addition to the SBC, the City is also forming a Somerville School Construction Advisory Group.  The Somerville School Construction Advisory Group will help develop recommendations on the location and scope of the new school, which will be considered by the Mayor. The Advisory Group will spend a period of approximately 14 months developing a recommendation on whether the project scope should focus solely on the Winter Hill School or if it should include the Brown School as well, and where a new school could be located. 
 

What is the School Building Committee? 
  • The SBC monitors and provides technical guidance and fiscal oversight during planning, design, and construction of a new school.  
  • The SBC works with City and Somerville Public Schools staff and consultants to oversee project management such as hiring project managers, architects, and construction contractors.   
  • The SBC ensures that detailed plans and designs meet the needs of the school district within budget.   
  • All SBC spending decisions will go to the Mayor and then the City Council for approval.  
  • Members monitor construction to assure adherence with the approved plans and budget.  
What types of decisions will the School Building Committee make? 

The SBC will make decisions that include but are not limited to:  

  • Project costs
  • Contractors
  • Overall design
  • Additions not funded by the State such as athletics facilities
  • Building finishes and furnishings
  • Educational equipment purchases
  • IT infrastructure
  • Sustainability features 

The SBC also contributes to decision-making on the location of the project, which will ultimately be decided by the Mayor, who has committed to faithfully consider community input on this question.  

What will the School Building Committee NOT decide?  
  • The SBC will NOT decide whether a final building project will accommodate just the Winter Hill community, or if it merges the Winter Hill and Brown schools.  
  • The SBC will be part of the decision-making process for the location of a new school, but in Somerville, the authority to make the final decision on location rests with the Mayor, who has committed to faithfully consider community input on this matter.  
  • The SBC will make initial start-up and project management decisions during a general planning phase while a parallel community process will provide input into the merger and location questions. The SBC will then oversee the chosen project through to completion after the project scope and location is decided by the Mayor following extensive community input and a recommendation by the School Construction Advisory Group. 

 

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