GREENFIELD — As Franklin County Technical School plans construction of its new $246 million campus, Greenfield city councilors are considering how they can most efficiently provide the city’s estimated $2.38 million annual contribution, should voters in the school’s 19 member municipalities choose to approve the project next fall.
Discussing the proposed construction project with city councilors on Wednesday, Franklin Tech Superintendent Richard Martin joined the school’s Business Manager Elizabeth Bouchard to present plans for the 152,785-square-foot, L-shaped new building.
Martin explained that the tech school is currently in need of a roof replacement; repairs to the electrical, plumbing, water and sewer systems; hazardous materials abatement; a new sprinkler system; and other upgrades slated to cost roughly $75 million.
Funding the project through 30-year Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA) bonds, rather than rehabilitating the building with multiple 15-year bonds, Martin said, would serve as a more cost-effective solution that is less disruptive to students.
“We put [these repairs] off because we knew we were in the pipeline for an MSBA project. … The difference is between going through an MSBA project of a 30-year bond versus trying to fix the existing problems through many small 15-year bonds,” Martin said. “The MSBA can’t fund anything that’s not new.”
If the MSBA approves the project’s schematic design in April and the new construction is approved by a district vote in September, 50% of the project would be funded by the MSBA, while the remaining half would be split among the towns, with local contributions determined by each town’s enrollment rates, property value and relative income.
Martin also explained that the school’s enrollment has steadily increased since 2016 — a feat that he attributed to other vocational schools in the state introducing college prep curriculum that mimics traditional high schools.
“One of the things that is a pet peeve of mine is too many voke schools are going on the college track,” Martin said. “We’re holding true to what our schools are designed to do. We don’t do the job that Greenfield High School does. They do a tremendous job with their college prep courses, [Advanced Placement] courses. That’s not who we are. We want kids to go and gain the experiences and skills they need so they can help give back to the communities in which they live.”
At-Large City Councilor Wahab Minhas, expressing his support for Franklin Tech, and for vocational schools in general, asked Martin about offering programming for adult students. The councilor added that he believes adult programming might sweeten the ballot for voters who do not have high-school-aged kids, come September.
Over the last four years, Martin responded, Franklin Tech has applied for and received competitive union school grants of up to $2.2 million to conduct tuition-free carpentry, welding, electrical, automotive technology, culinary arts and building maintenance classes for adult students.
“We’re trying to close the skills gap for those who are underemployed or displaced workers,” Martin said. “They’re going to contribute back to our member towns in a very high way and be able to support their families, and it’s only for the member towns.”
Should the member towns vote to approve the school’s construction in September, work on the new building is slated for completion in early 2028, with a goal of it being ready for student occupancy in the summer of 2030.