What exactly are we voting and when?  There will be two votes on the high school project.  First, on the November 17 Special Election ballot there will be a question that asks, “Shall the Town of Wayland be allowed to exempt from the provisions of Proposition two-and-one-half, so called, the amounts required to pay for the bonds issued in order to expand and modernize Wayland High School?”  This question must pass by a simple majority for the project to proceed.

Second, at the Special Town Meeting beginning November 18 there will be a warrant article.  The full text of the article runs nearly 400 words.  It asks whether the Town will appropriate $70.8 million for the expansion and modernization of Wayland High School, although this figure includes money already appropriated and spent as well as the $25 million state grant.  The additional budget is $45.1 million.  The article also authorizes town officials to sign the grant agreement with the state.  This article must pass by a 2/3 majority for the project to proceed. 

What happens if the vote passes? May the town execute the MSBA agreement?  Yes, the Project Funding Agreement will be executed.  Next tasks will include producing detailed architectural drawings and bid packages, permitting and approvals, and other construction documents.  Construction is expected to begin in the spring of 2011.

What happens if the vote does not pass? The $25 million grant is not transferable to another project. Pending a new charge from the School Committee, the HSBC would need to regroup and develop an alternate strategy for the high school, and for satisfying regulators and the accreditation organization.  Some work was done around this question following the 2005 vote, but that analysis is dated and no project plan exists.  There are no funds currently appropriated for further studies or planning, so professional input would require additional funding at next April’s Town Meeting.  A large capital project will certainly be needed within the next three years to keep the school operational and fully accredited.  See the Fact Sheet:  Alternative Projects here.  It might be eligible for MSBA funding but the grant process would need to be repeated, and reimbursement will be at a lower rate.  Click here to read the MSBA’s policy statement on a failed vote.  They say it “likely will result in the school district being required to submit a new Statement of Interest to the MSBA and await a second invitation from the MSBA to enter the feasibility study phase of the MSBA’s process.”

Why does the printed warrant article include the full $70.8 million? Can’t it specify the $45.1 additional budget?  Here is an excerpt from an email sent to HSBC chairperson Lea Anderson by Holly McClanan, an attorney with the MSBA.  Ms. McClanan says, “it is essential that the Town and the voters know and understand that Massachusetts General Laws require that the Town appropriate the total project costs and not simply the Town's share.  This is not an MSBA requirement. Rather it is a law of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. I have provided the link to that statute for your convenience:   http://www.mass.gov/legis/laws/mgl/44-31c.htm.”  She also points out that the article says the amount of borrowing will be reduced by the grant, so the town does not have to bond the full amount. 

To meet the requirements of the MSBA program and get the $25 million grant, the warrant article must follow the MSBA’s form and their attorney’s must approve the language in advance of Town Meeting.  At the time the warrant article was printed, the MSBA specified a total budget figure of $70.8 million.  However Town Counsel Mark Lanza pointed out to them that $1,084,812 of these funds have already been appropriated at prior Town Meetings, and requested that the figure be changed to $69,715,188.  On November 6, the HSBC received word that the MSBA attorney agrees, so when the article is presented at Town Meeting, that will be the amount.  However, further changes that are not approved by the MSBA attorney would jeopardize the $25 million grant.  For more details, click here for a Fact Sheet:  Ballot Question and Warrant Article Language.

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