West Bridgewater Finance Committee Votes 6-1 Against Recommending $170 Million School

WEST BRIDGEWATER — January 27, 2026 — West Bridgewater Finance Committee votes 6-1 against recommending a $170 million school construction project to town voters. The advisory vote came one week before a Special Town Meeting at which residents will decide whether to authorize borrowing the full $170 million for a new consolidated kindergarten-through-grade-six elementary school; the Massachusetts School Building Authority has committed to reimbursing roughly $72 million of that cost, leaving an estimated $97 million net burden on local taxpayers. Committee members cited the town's 26-percent senior population on fixed incomes, a recently bonded $20 million water infrastructure project whose costs have not yet appeared in tax bills, and concerns that the school — sized for 1,075 students against a current enrollment of roughly 665 — would not reach its design capacity for two decades. "My wallet can't afford to build something that's going to meet its goals in 20 years," said one member identified as Sue. The lone dissenting vote argued that building a capital asset now is financially sounder than continued maintenance spending on aging buildings. If two-thirds of town meeting voters approve the borrowing on January 31, the Select Board must schedule a subsequent referendum — expected in mid- to late March — requiring a simple majority to finalize the project.