Below is a press release from the Yes for Wilmington Schools Committee:
WILMINGTON, MA — The Yes for Wilmington Schools Committee is proud to announce the launch of its campaign for a “Yes” vote to fund a PreK-5 elementary school located at the North Intermediate School site. The committee plans to run a resident-powered campaign to encourage Yes votes at the Sept 13th Special Town Meeting & Sept 16th Ballot vote and is looking for volunteers & donations to support these efforts.
“Supporting this new elementary school is deeply personal for me,” said Hailey Stewart, Wilmington resident, Yes for Wilmington Schools Chair, and parent of a 4 & 6 year old. “All children in our town deserve facilities that match their potential, spark their curiosity, and nurture their growth. That’s why I’m proud to chair this campaign and advocate for an investment that will benefit our entire community for decades.”
Endorsements:
The campaign is proud to share that several private individuals and community groups have endorsed a “Yes” vote so far:
– State Representative Dave Robertson:
“As a State Rep. and a product of public schools I believe in replacing our school and stand ready to work with our community in a way that maximizes our state aid to ensure retirees and those on fixed incomes are minimally impacted,” said Robertson.
– Select Board Member Lilia Maselli
“This project is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to invest in Wilmington’s future — providing our children with the modern, unified learning environment they deserve while maximizing state funding to ease the burden on taxpayers. I’m proud to support this plan that strengthens our schools and our community for decades to come,” said Maselli.
– The Parent/Guardian Advocates for Wilmington, MA Schools (PAWS) Planning Team
– Board of the Shawsheen / West PAC
– Board of the Boutwell PAC
– School Committee Member Jesse Fennelly
– School Committee Member Jennifer Bryson
– School Committee Member Michael Mercaldi
– School Committee Member Jay Samaha
– School Committee Member Nicholas Golden
– School Committee Member David Ragsdale
– School Committee Member Stephen Turner
– Former School Committee Member Melissa Plowman
How You Can Help:
Wilmington residents interested in supporting this effort — please fill out the following google form.
The team is looking for Wilmington residents interested in supporting the campaign through volunteering to help get out the vote, pre-ordering lawn signs, and donating to support printing/mailer costs. Donations of all kinds are deeply appreciated at https://donorbox.org/yes-for-wilmington-schools. Checks can be made out to “Yes for Wilmington Schools Committee.”
Important Notes:
— The new PreK-5 school would replace the closed Wildwood School, as well as the Woburn Street and North Intermediate schools, which were constructed in 1965, 1963/68, and 1962, respectively. Current school operations would continue during construction.
— The school project began in 2021, and following years of meetings, including multiple community surveys and forums, is now poised to receive tens in millions of dollars in state funding from the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA) to help pay for the project.
— Should either September vote fail, the town will have to start that extremely competitive MSBA process all over again to receive state funding, or have Wilmington taxpayers foot the entire bill for new schools by themselves.
– According to the Town Manager’s budget presentation at the January 27th Select Board meeting, if the town successfully completes the MSBA process for the West side of town after the North side school is completed, a new PreK-5 school for the West side of town can be built without any override or debt exclusion.
– The town anticipates being able to afford a West side school because it will pay off OPEB debt (a kind of public employee benefit debt) by 2036, freeing up an estimated $14 million from the town’s annual budget
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