Some are asking about the cost considerations in the decision to build the largest K-8 School (925 capacity). There were so many other factors that the Construction Advisory Group (CAG) considered when making their recommendation - including equity and access, open space, impact to current school communities, research on educational outcomes, and community input - but information about estimated costs was not available until after the City-wide community survey was complete. I covered the general topics in my fall newsletter, but I wanted to add this blog post to share high-level details on the estimated costs, as I understand them.
Although their work was more complicated, for simplicity's sake the CAG was considering two primary scenarios (1) build a 675 seat building at the Sycamore Street location (2) build the largest capacity the State was willing to fund (925 seats). Originally Somerville submitted applications to the state, via the MSBA process (which funds ~50% of the cost), to address facility concerns at both the Winter Hill Community Innovation School (WHCIS) and the Brown School. The State only accepted the WHCIS into their program but offered to fund a larger school to address the needs of both populations.
I wrote in my Fall Newsletter about the tradeoffs between a two-school solution (new WHCIS and upgrading the Brown School) or a single large school. The table below shares estimated costs I extracted from the City's financial presentation to the CAG. The "Project Costs to the City" subtracts the estimated reimbursement from the State (~50%) from the total project cost, with the exception of the Brown School which was not accepted into the MSBA process so there is no opportunity for reimbursement.
NOTE: I have omitted estimates associated with the Trum Field location, which was not preferred by either the community or the city
| School | WHCIS (675 Capacity) |
Brown* (250 Capacity) |
Total Cost - 2 school solution | WHCIS (925 Capacity) |
Difference between 2 school and 1 school Solution | |||
| Est. Project Costs to the City | $167 M | $94 M | $261 M | $194 M | $67 M | |||
| Cost per seat (cost/capacity) | $247 K | $376 K | $211 K |
* there is no commitment from the MSBA to fund a renovation or rebuild of the Brown School, so no state reimbursement is factored
Sustaining the two school buildings would cost the City, and its taxpayers, an additional $67 M dollars.
Some suggest reducing the work at the Brown. If pursued the scope of the project would be full accessibility, allowing the space for gross motor development year-round, regardless of weather, and additional spaces to support students with special needs, in addition to an elevator and facility modernization to reduce building risk. It is expected that this scope would significantly reduce the outdoor space. There have been suggestions to continue submitting the Brown application to the MSBA, however there is no guarantee for funding.
Again, sharing this data is an effort to increase transparency and does not imply that the only factor to consider was cost.
