West Bridgewater School Panel Votes 15-8 to Submit Elementary School Design to State

WEST BRIDGEWATER — October 21, 2025 — West Bridgewater school panel advances elementary school design package to state in 15-8 vote. The West Bridgewater School Building Committee voted 15 to 8 on a roll call Tuesday to submit its schematic design package to the Massachusetts School Building Authority, completing the final formal step before a December 12 MSBA board review. The roughly 1,347-page submission covers a project projected at approximately $875 per square foot in construction costs — below the MSBA's current trend-line projection but well above the authority's $645-per-square-foot reimbursement cap. The vote came after the committee rejected a secret-ballot motion, with the chair warning that members "find it hard to believe that you would accept secret ballot votes for any of the work that you do on those boards and commissions." A separate vote, 15 to 6, formally locked in gender-designated restrooms for the building. The reimbursement cap locks in at the December MSBA board meeting; West Bridgewater residents will then face a special town meeting vote targeted for late January 2026.