BOSTON, MA – Katherine Craven, Executive Director of the Massachusetts School Building Authority (“MSBA”), was in Boylston today. On behalf of State Treasurer Steven Grossman, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the MSBA, she took part in the groundbreaking ceremony at the site of the new Tahanto Regional Middle/High School.
The new middle/high school will be a two-story, 126,100 square foot facility that will serve 560 students from grades six through twelve. The new school will be U-shaped with a central core that will house the auditorium, gym and cafeteria. The middle and high schools will be housed in the two wings. The MSBA is contributing 51.21% of eligible project costs.
“It is wonderful to be back at Tahanto,” said Katherine Craven. “By breaking ground and beginning construction we are moving one step closer to the day when the students and teachers of the Tahanto Regional Middle/High School will work and learn in a modern, efficient and sustainable school.”
“Although ground is being broken today, the MSBA has already infused a significant amount of funding into the new Tahanto Regional Middle/High School,” said State Treasurer Steven Grossman. “To date we have paid $1.2 million to the district, saving local taxpayers burdensome costs while constructing a learning facility that will benefit the students of Berlin and Boylston for years to come.”
The MSBA strives to find the right-sized, most fiscally responsible and educationally appropriate solutions to create safe and sound learning environments. The MSBA is committed to protecting the taxpayer’s dollar by improving the school building grant process and avoiding the mistakes of the past in the funding and construction of schools. The MSBA reformed the Commonwealth’s formerly rampant and unsustainable program, which was more than $11 billion in debt. The MSBA 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.