New Fuller Middle School Closer To Reality With Approval

FRAMINGHAM, MA—Lisa Flannery left the Potter Road School polling location during mid-term election day, her seven-year-old daughter Charlotte in tow, confident about her vote, but particularly eager about an upcoming special election in Framingham.

Flannery, who has lived in Framingham for five years, is concerned about the vote for money to design and build a new Fuller Middle School. The longtime, coordinated push for this school re-build is coming to fruition on Dec. 11. That's the day Framingham holds a special election to ask residents to approve a debt exclusion for the design, construction and other costs related to the new school, which is estimated at $98.3 million. If approved, the existing Fuller Middle School will be replaced with a new facility.

"I'm definitely voting yes for many reasons, but mostly because in the long run, it's a lower cost than trying to retrofit," Flannery told Patch. "It more than needs it. There are some serious issues that are health and safety concerns."

The Fuller Middle School is more than 60 years old. The push came about to build a new school when officials agreed that it got to the point where it no longer meets today's building codes, has structural deficiencies, and inefficient systems.

Flannery isn't alone. Support appears to swirl around the re-build of the school, particularly at the municipal and legislative level.

The Framingham School Committee this week voted unanimously to endorse the ballot question on the Fuller Middle School Building Project and also encouraged the community to vote "yes." Several legislators bolstered support for the project during the school committee meeting. Rep. Jack Lewis, Rep. Maria Robinson and Susan Nichols, representative for Senate President Karen Spilka, all spoke in favor.

“This is a generational opportunity to ensure a fiscally-responsible, first-class learning environment for the students and teachers of today and tomorrow,” said Spilka. “Simply put, this is the right project for Framingham at the right time."

“A strong community requires quality public education to succeed and grow,” said Donna Kilcoyne Orthoefer, King Elementary School parent and chair of Yes for Fuller!, a community group created to advocate for the school project. “Our community has a one-time chance to vote yes on Dec. 11 in order to bring this state funding to Framingham so we can build a new school to last for generations.”

Noval Alexander, Framingham School Committee member from District 5, pointed out that even for residents who have no children in the district schools, the building would be a "crown jewel of civic life and activity in Framingham for many years to come" and that voting "yes" would likely increase home values, and also save money over time by conserving maintenance costs. Mayor Yvonne Spicer has often pointed out that the school would benefit the whole community, not just those in the school system.

The school committee vote and endorsement was the second-to-last piece of the puzzle to lock in the much-anticipated plan for the Fuller school before the Dec. 11 special election.

On Wednesday, Oct. 31, the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA) Board of Directors approved the Fuller Middle School Project with a $39.5 million grant to help fund the project. Framingham City Council unanimously passed a request to fund Fuller for total appropriation in its meeting on Oct. 30 of this year.

"I am extremely pleased that the MSBA saw the wisdom to help fund the critically important Fuller School project," said Dennis Giombetti, council chair. "The city council's unanimous support of the project demonstrates the widespread community support for Fuller Middle School. The council looks forward to continuing to work on making the new Fuller Middle School a reality for our students."

Should voters say yes in December, the Fuller Middle School will be replaced with a bigger, modern school that advocates say launches education into the 21st century for Framingham.

Not everyone is wild about the idea. "I do not have children in the school system. I'm opposed to more taxes on top of the $95 (per year) that will already get added for 2019," Framingham resident Leah Silver Graves said. "So, a tax increase on top of a tax increase is not fair to the residents of Framingham. I have not been told yet what the first increase is for. I'm not opposed to taxes to pay for schools. In Maine, some of the smaller towns have 80 percent of the taxes going to the schools. I'm just opposed to two separate increases in one year."

The estimated $98.3 million for the project will be offset by the grant from the MSBA. This leaves the city with a price tag of approximately $58.8 million. What this means for the taxpayer is an average increase of $101 over the life of this 20-year bond.

>>>Did you attend Fuller Middle School, or formerly, the high school? Framingham Patch is putting together a series of stories from former students. Share your stories and photos with us at [email protected].

"The opportunity to partner with the Massachusetts School Building Authority in the construction of a truly 21st century school building, designed to meet the needs of a school district that is advancing its work in science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics as integrated learning through real-word projects and problem-solving cannot be overemphasized," said Superintendent Dr. Robert Tremblay in a statement. Tremblay added that without the MSBA money, the project simply wouldn't have been possible.

The three-story Fuller school, if approved, will include a learning commons/cafeteria in the middle, surrounded by collaboration balconies that face the classrooms, an 8,300-square-foot gymnasium, 420-seat auditorium, and full-building air conditioning. It will also include new athletic fields and green space.

The School Building Committee, which has met just about every two weeks since the fall of 2017, led an 18-month feasibility study to come up with the best solution to the aging middle school, formerly the Framingham South High School. In 28 meetings over the subject, and community forums, a building plan was concocted. The committee came up with eight design options before settling on a final one.

The next series of community forums before the Dec 11 election are Nov. 17 at 2 p.m. in the McAuliffe Branch Library, Nov. 26 at 1 p.m. at the Callahan Senior Center and a community forum on Wednesday, Nov. 28th, from 6-8 p.m. at the Fuller Middle School.

See also:

>>>Framingham's Fuller Middle School Building Project Gets Approval

>>>Building Authority Supports Framingham School For $39.5 Million

>>>Framingham School Building Committee OKs Middle School Budget

>>>Project For New Fuller Middle School Approved For Framingham

>>>'Yes for Fuller!' Initiative Launched In Framingham

Photo of Lisa Flannery, daughter Charlotte, by Charlene Arsenault