The MSBA Announces Approval of Five Schools in Boston Under the Green Repair Program

The Massachusetts School Building Authority Announces Approval of Five Schools in Boston Under the Green Repair Program

The MSBA Grants for Boston Total $7.5 Million

BOSTON, MA – The Board of Directors of the Massachusetts School Building Authority (“MSBA”) has approved grants totaling $7,591,332 for five schools in Boston under the Green Repair Program. State Treasurer Steven Grossman, Chairman of the MSBA, and Katherine Craven, MSBA Executive Director, made the announcement today. The MSBA Board approved the following grants:

  • $1,287,766 to replace the boiler at Clarence R. Edwards Middle School
  • $908,850 to replace the roof at Excel High School
  • $1,591,665 to replace the roof at Joseph Lee Elementary School
  • $1,037,481 to replace the roof at Washington Irving Middle School
  • $2,765,570 to replace the boiler and roof at Thomas A. Edison Junior High School

The main goals of the Green Repair Program are to improve learning environments for children and teachers, reduce energy use and generate cost savings for districts. The program will repair or replace roofs, windows and/or boilers in schools that are otherwise structurally, functionally and educationally sound. The one-time-only program has a limited budget of $300 million and grants will be awarded on a competitive basis.

“Our Green Repair Program allows us to make much needed repairs to more than one school in Boston. Besides improving the learning environment for our children, the green repairs also make our schools more energy efficient, and generate significant cost savings. It's a win-win program for everyone," stated Treasurer Steven Grossman.

“The Green Repair Program will provide immediate benefits to communities like Boston by enabling us to both expedite and broaden the MSBA’s participation in repair projects, thereby maximizing the impact of this program,” stated Katherine Craven.

The MSBA strives to find the right-sized, most fiscally responsible, and educationally appropriate solutions to create safe and sound learning environments. It is committed to protecting taxpayers’ dollars by improving the school building grant process and avoiding the costly mistakes of the past in the funding and construction of schools. The MSBA reformed the Commonwealth’s formerly rampant and unsustainable school building program, which was more than $11 billion in debt.

Since its inception in 2004, the Authority has made $7.6 billion in reimbursements to cities, towns, and regional school districts for school construction projects. These timely payments have saved municipalities over $2.9 billion in avoided local interest costs and have provided much needed cash flow to communities.