West Bridgewater Select Board Votes 2-1 Against Recommending $169.6 Million School

WEST BRIDGEWATER — January 21, 2026 — West Bridgewater's Select Board voted two-to-one against recommending a $169,640,380 school construction borrowing article four days before a special town meeting vote. The board unanimously approved the motion language for the January 31 warrant article — a borrowing measure requiring a two-thirds supermajority — and assigned School Building Committee Chair Gary Keith as the article's reader, but two of three members publicly recommended voters reject it. Member Jeff argued the project leaves the Spring Street School operating at half capacity, converts Howard School into a landlord property, and expands enrollment by 400 students beyond current levels, estimating that a smaller pre-kindergarten-through-fourth-grade alternative could save the town $50 million to $60 million when future Spring Street replacement costs are included. The third member, who also voted against the project on the School Building Committee, said the plan would place "unnecessary hardship on a lot of our elderly and fixed-income residents." Member Mike was the lone vote for a favorable recommendation, citing overcrowded classrooms and students receiving instruction in hallways at Howard School. The special town meeting is set for January 31, 2026 at 10 a.m. at the high school.