Somerville’s next school building project will address the needs of the Winter Hill Community Innovation School and potentially the Brown School. Partnering with the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA) offers the City and school district the potential to receive state funding to offset a significant portion (approximately 50%) of the cost of the project.
December Update
Work on the City’s plan for a new pre-kindergarten to 8th grade school building continues. Here’s what is currently happening:
CAG Recommendation Expected Late December:
- The Construction Advisory Group (CAG) is working to finalize its recommendation to the Mayor by the end of the year following deliberations at its November meetings (11/10 and 11/24).
- Once the final recommendation is finalized, it will be available here and shared widely through City and Somerville Public Schools (SPS) channels.
Next Phase Already Underway:
- The City, project manager PMA, and architect Perkins Eastman are already working to advance the project through the next phase of the MSBA’s process.
- This phase is called the feasibility study. During this phase, the project team will document SPS’s educational requirements for the new building. They will prepare an analysis of the City’s preferred site option for the new school building. As required by MSBA, they will also prepare analyses of non-preferred site options to submit for MSBA review. This phase is currently expected to conclude by late summer 2026.
Get Involved in Next Steps in Early 2026:
- Along with architect Perkins Eastman, the City is planning a series of opportunities for the community to learn more about ongoing preliminary design work, ask questions, and provide feedback.
- These events are expected to take place in early 2026. As plans are finalized, details and invitations will be shared through City and SPS channels.
Upcoming Meetings and Events
Click below to view upcoming meetings and events and how to participate.
View upcoming meetings
All meetings will be open to the public and will include a designated comment period toward the end of the meeting.
- The Construction Advisory Group will meet the 2nd Monday of every month. The next meeting of the Construction Advisory Group will be November 24 from 6 – 8:30 p.m. To view meeting details, click here.
- The School Building Committee meets roughly monthly. The next meeting of the School Building Committee is Monday, January 5th from 4:30 to 6 p.m. Find the meeting details here.
You can find instructions on listening to language interpretation of the meeting here. New to attending Zoom webinars? You can find instructions for participating here.
Key Milestones
- Community engagement (survey and focus groups) – Late summer/fall 2025
- Funding the project (debt exclusion ballot question) – Expected November 2027
- Completion of construction – Anticipated late 2031
Project History
In 2023, the City requested approval to apply for funding for two school renovation or rebuilding projects: the Winter Hill Community Innovation School and the Benjamin Brown School.
The MSBA gave us three answers:
- Winter Hill application was approved to advance: The City was invited by the MSBA to proceed with applying for funding for one project: to renovate or rebuild the Winter Hill Community Innovation School, which was unexpectedly closed in June 2023.
- Brown School application was declined: The MSBA declined to allow us to apply for a project to renovate or rebuild the Brown School.
- But, MSBA offered Somerville the option to combine schools: However, the MSBA gave Somerville the option to build one school that could serve the needs of the two schools: both the Winter Hill School and the Brown School.
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 outlined on this page.
We’ve worked with the MSBA before most recently to build the new Somerville High School. To find details about our previous project, Somerville High School, please visit www.shsproject.org.
Want to learn how the MSBA works? Visit our FAQs page or read this explanation about the process.