Somerville Community Invited to Take Survey on New PK-8 School Building Options

The City of Somerville is planning to build a new PK-8 public school building, and the Construction Advisory Group (CAG), Mayor Ballantyne, and Somerville Public Schools want to hear from you.  

To inform their recommendation to the Mayor on the location and scope of the project, members of the CAG worked with an urban planning firm and City staff to develop a 10-minute survey to gather perspective from across the Somerville community. This outreach is part of the Mayor’s commitment to ensure community voices are heard on this important decision.   

To learn more about the project and take the survey offered in seven languages, please visit somervillema.gov/newpkto8. 

Through the survey, community members can provide input on key decisions including whether the new school should be located on the Winter Hill School Community Innovation School’s (WHCIS) former Sycamore Street site or on a portion of Trum Field, and if the new school should meet the needs of the Benjamin G. Brown School community in addition to the needs of WHCIS. Participants can also share their perspective on what matters most for the new school as well as what other city funding priorities are most important to them.  

“Building a new school for our students is a generational investment in our city’s future,” said Mayor Ballantyne. “As we work toward this goal, there are critical decisions to make. We want to make sure the full community can weigh in on these decisions, share their perspective, and support the critical work the CAG has been doing. I’d like to invite the full community to participate in this survey.”  

The survey is available in either English, Spanish, Portuguese, Haitian Kreyol, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, or Nepali at somervillema.gov/newpkto8. For general assistance in taking the survey or interpretation support for other languages, please contact 311 (617-666-3311). 

About the School Building Project and Construction Advisory Group  

Since 2023, the City of Somerville has been working with the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA) to deliver a state-of-the-art school building project for students.  

The new school will address the needs of the Winter Hill Community Innovation School (WHCIS) Community. The MSBA rejected a request to also renovate the Benjamin G. Brown School, but did offer the City the opportunity to address the needs of the Brown School within this school building project.  

In response, Mayor Katjana Ballantyne convened a School Construction Advisory Group (CAG) made up of parents, residents, and elected officials to make a recommendation to her on the whether the school should address the needs of the Brown School in addition to WHCIS and where the new school should be located. The CAG is currently expected to deliver their recommendation to the Mayor in November 2025.  

Meanwhile, in December 2024, the City’s funding proposal to the state passed a critical milestone: Somerville received approval to hire the project team. This team will work with City staff to design and build the new school. In May, the City hired an Owner’s Project Manager and is now working to choose an architecture firm to design the project. 

At this stage, construction of the new school is projected be completed by late 2031 barring unforeseen circumstances. 

More about the project including an anticipated timeline is available at somervillema.gov/newpkto8. 

About the MSBA  

The MSBA strives to work with local communities to create affordable, sustainable, and energy efficient schools across Massachusetts. Since its 2004 inception, the Authority has made over 1,750 site visits to more than 250 school districts as part of its due diligence process and has made over $16.7 billion in reimbursements for school construction projects. 

About the Winter Hill Community Innovation School and Brown School 

The Winter Hill Community Innovation School (WHCIS) and the Brown School are the two oldest school buildings in the Somerville Public Schools. Students and staff from the WHCIS were displaced from the Sycamore Street building in June 2023, and the old building cannot be reused. All WHCIS students are now attending classes at their interim location at the Edgerly Education Center in East Somerville.  

The Brown School, the district’s only K-5 school, is the oldest school building in the district (built in 1900) and will require major renovation in the future.  

Learn More 

Throughout the community engagement process, design, and construction of Somerville’s next school building, information about the project, and additional opportunities to get involved will be shared widely through City and Somerville Public Schools channels.   

For more information on the project visit somervillema.gov/newpkto8.   

Persons with disabilities who need auxiliary aids and services for effective communication (i.e., CART, ASL), written materials in alternative formats, or reasonable modifications in policies and procedures in order to access the programs, activities, and meetings of the City of Somerville should please contact Adrienne Pomeroy in advance at 617-625-6600 x 2059 or apomeroy@somervillema.gov.