Lexington VOTES Yes!
On December 8, Lexington voted in favor of a debt-exclusion to fund a new high school
I t was the culmination of a process that began in 2022, but arguably long before that, as Lexington has debated whether to build a new high school for the past 30 years.
Kathleen Lenihan, School Building Committee Chair (SBC), who oversaw the process along with other Town government members and the design team, said, “I’m grateful to the Lexington residents who supported the LHS project with their votes. The successful Debt Exclusion vote means that generations of Lexington children will have a high school that meets their educational needs in a healthy and sustainable building. I’m looking forward to seeing our current elementary and middle school students enter a new LHS [Lexington High School] in the fall of 2029.”
“We’re over the moon,” said Taylor Singh, chair of Yes4Lex, a group that campaigned for a new high school. “We are humbled by the extraordinary community effort that helped us educate residents on the value and worthiness of this project. 100+ residents across all age groups volunteered in so many ways, and every effort mattered. It is our sincere hope that folks who are still skeptical of the proposed plans will grow to love the new LHS [Lexington High School] when it’s completed. It will be a tremendous resource for our entire community.”
Recognizing that not all residents supported the debt exclusion, Singh says, “[O]nce it’s [Bloom is] fully established in our community, it’s my sincere hope that we all learn to love it. It will be for all of us, that’s part of the design, and so that large community space, which is the cafeteria, and then we’ll have a brand new auditorium and a huge gymnasium…It’s going to be our space, and I hope we grow to learn and accept it and appreciate it for what it is.”
The debt exclusion means Lexington will tax residents’ property at a rate higher than the Prop 2 ½ limits on real estate and personal property taxes. Residents can see their own projected real estate taxes using the Tax Calculator on the Lexington High School Project website.
The vote was clearly “yes,” but there were many “no” votes, as well. The breakdown was approximately 60% in favor of the debt exclusion and almost 40% against. Dr. Julia Hackett, Superintendent of Lexington Public Schools, issued a letter about the vote to fund the new high school, but also wrote, “I want to acknowledge those who voted differently or have concerns about this path forward. You are valued members of our school community, and your perspectives matter.” She said the project decision-makers remained committed to “open communication” as the process moves forward.
Doug Lucente, the one Select Board member who had voted against bringing the Bloom design to a debt exclusion vote, said, “As you could tell from the vote, there was quite a substantial number of nos, considering how many people voted no at Town Meeting. I think we had 92% yes votes at Town Meeting (to have the December 8 debt exclusion vote), and over 60% yes in the elections. There’s some gap there. You know that that speaks to the concerns the community has as a whole. But with all that, since the voters speak,… and we have to all move forward together. So I think our focus moves now to strong oversight, making sure that the final project is what the town expects.”
Next steps
What happens now? SBC Chair Kathleen Lenihan says, “We are in the process, the design team with our [SBC] input, of going from those schematic designs to the construction documents. And as always, it’s an iterative process.”
She acknowledges the environmental questions have yet to be decided, such as the revisions to the FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) flood maps. Lenihan expects the response from the federal government soon.
Lexington Select Board member Doug Lucente also says the next steps move to the state level. He notes, “There’s a lot of process that we still have to go through, as far as state approvals, the Article 97 process, and some environmental reviews and checks, but that’s a little bit outside of our jurisdiction. It’s others that have to weigh in on this at the state level, and I’m sure that they will.” Article 97 of the Massachusetts Constitution requires legislative approval at both the town and state levels for changes in land use.
The discussions around cost are ongoing. Lucente says, “I think when we start getting into some more details on pricing [as occurs] typically with projects this size, some [decisions] get made about which direction to go in on specific elements, and is there any opportunity for savings that may be shared by choosing one path or another? We sometimes are involved in those decisions as a Select Board.”
Speaking for himself, not the whole Select Board, Lucente notes the ongoing concern among people about the tax impact. He says residents know their property values are rising, “which is a good thing when you sell your house, but if you’re not moving, it’s a little more difficult to afford to live here. So, I want to at least be in a position where we’re keeping that top of mind and looking at how do we help keep people in their homes, as long as they want to be in their homes. The current tax policy has some avenues, some tools in the toolbox, but I hope to create and look for tools to help people in need.”
There’s no question that December 8’s vote ushers in a new chapter for Lexington. As BLOOM supporter Taylor Singh says, “This is for our kids and students for the next 75 years. We’re still one Lexington at the end of it, and so I do hope we’ll come together.”