What is the benefit of working with the MSBA?

The funding that the MSBA contributes to school projects is significant.  The source of MSBA funding is 1 cent of the sales tax charged in Massachusetts. For a project of this scale, the Town can expect a reimbursement in the tens of millions of dollars. For 2022, when the Foster project expects to receive final MSBA approval, the MSBA base reimbursement rate has been set at 36.89%. The actual reimbursement the Town receives will be determined once the project scope and budget is approved, taking into account any additional reimbursement points that may be available in connection with the pursuit of LEED certification, which confirms green and sustainable design and operational features, and an approved maintenance plan.  The actual grant reimbursement is also offset by any costs deemed ineligible or that exceed the MSBA’s existing thresholds.

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1. What is the Foster School Building Project?
2. What is the Foster School Building Committee?
3. What is the MSBA?
4. What is the benefit of working with the MSBA?
5. How is our community included in this process?
6. What are the different phases of the project and how long will each phase, including construction, take?
7. What is the value of rebuilding the Foster School to people who either don’t live in the Foster district or don’t have children in the Hingham Public Schools?
8. When will the construction start and end? When would students be in the new school?
9. My child is at Foster. Will he/she need to move to a different school during construction?
10. What will happen to the athletic fields and tennis courts during construction?
11. Was a traffic study done? How will traffic be managed during construction?
12. How was the enrollment number determined? Does the new enrollment number allow for growth?
13. What is the potential base reimbursement rate from the MSBA for this project? How was the rate determined?
14. How will this new building support Hingham’s climate action planning efforts and the Town’s goal of reducing our fossil fuel use and carbon emissions?
15. I understand that Foster School is next to wetlands and in a flood zone. What will be done to mitigate the risk of flooding and protect the environmentally sensitive areas surrounding the school?
16. Is this a suitable time to build as construction costs have increased significantly since the middle school was built, and cost per square footage is far more than Public Safety building?
17. What costs does the MSBA not cover? Should we be adding components that have been excluded by MSBA? Is it prudent to build when costs are ineligible?
18. What will Foster look like compared to new elementary schools in surrounding towns? What is the square footage of new school and how does it compare to sq ft/ student at other schools in town (& MSBA
19. What additional operational costs will there be relating to the new elementary school? Is there an estimate of operational cost savings delivered by energy or other efficiencies built into the...
20. For tuition-based programming (i.e., KIA, etc.), if programming is increased, will costs be covered?
21. Would we look at redistricting the other elementary schools to ensure class sizes are comparable across the four elementary schools?
22. Will out-of-district tuition go down as a result of Special Ed programming at the new elementary school? Will additional SPED programming built into the facility enable more students to stay in...
23. Do we have to fully open at the opening of the new school or is it possible to increase over time, i.e., staffing and furniture/fixtures.
24. What process did you go through to determine the building configuration and placement on the site?
25. Is there a deeper explanation, other than inflation, of the cost estimate increase over the past 6 months even though the design is largely the same?