BUCKLAND — Town officials and leaders from across Franklin County gathered at Buckland Town Hall this week to discuss possible scenarios following the Oct. 6 vote on the proposed new Franklin County Technical School building.
Buckland Finance Committee Chair Larry Langford led the meeting, after having previously presented his findings to the Selectboard in July. He emphasized to town officials on Wednesday that they weren’t there to discuss the merit of the project, saying that they “can’t argue about the deal on the table.”
“All we can do is figure out what we’re going to do with it,” Langford said. “So tonight, I hope we don’t debate the merit of the new school building. I hope we don’t debate the price tag. We’ve just got to figure out what the hell we’re going to do.”
The new school is projected to cost $236.6 million, though after reimbursement from the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA), Franklin Tech’s 19 member municipalities would be responsible for paying $122.8 million, spread out over 30 years.
Langford presented a series of scenarios that could result from the October vote, ranging from all of Franklin Tech’s member towns finding a way to pay for it by passing temporary debt exclusions, to the vote failing at the ballot box and Franklin Tech being back at square one. He asked the town leaders in attendance how they thought their respective communities would respond to the new school building proposal.
Robyn Provost, chair of the Heath Selectboard, said that many Heath residents may feel like their vote doesn’t matter, referencing the fact that the town makes up the smallest voting population of Franklin Tech’s 19 member municipalities.
Provost added that she feels like the vote result will depend on which residents of Heath make their way to the polls.
“We have a normal amount of people who show up [to the polls] and those that don’t, and that divide is financial,” Provost said. “The folks that have more access to funds are the ones that come to vote. Whereas those who don’t, for whatever reason … those folks don’t show up to vote. … The folks that show up are going to be able to afford this and feel that it’s a good thing; they’ll be concerned about the what-if of repairing the existing facility.”
With Buckland having recently passed a $500,000 override to help cover operating costs for fiscal year 2027, and other towns in the county facing similar financial woes, there is substantial concern about financial struggles if the new building is approved.
The general sense among those in attendance, though, was that the vote for the new building would ultimately pass on Oct. 6, as residents are supportive of Franklin Tech.
“I think that a lot of people think that this tech school is really good to have,” Buckland Finance Committee member Karl Rogler said. “I think a lot of people are in favor of this, but I think what’s going to result from that is going to be very unfortunate, which is people are going to take on this building project and then people are going to start being really upset about their taxes.”
Similarly, Paula Consolo of the Buckland Finance Committee raised the question of what would happen if residents in the 19 communities simply could not afford their taxes.
Members of the Deerfield Finance Committee shared a document providing an estimate of the average single-family home’s tax bill increase in each of the municipalities. Based on current estimates, the estimated tax impact on a typical homeowner is projected to range from approximately $87 to $335 per year, depending on the community.
Franklin Tech also released an annual estimated tax increase calculator, which can be found at tinyurl.com/mwk6vcfs.
“You’re going to be asked these questions when you’re going out into the town,” Langford told attendees. “[Residents are] going to say, ‘Oh, what happens if it passes? What happens if it doesn’t pass? What are we on the hook for, boss?’ I’m trying to suggest that we need to start thinking in advance of all of this, so we have at least a cogent response, other than, ‘Beats me.'”
Future outreach efforts
Adam Griffin, who represents Buckland on the Franklin Tech School Committee, noted the school is in the process of mailing flyers to homes with information about the upcoming vote. He also mentioned that Franklin Tech will have an information booth at the Franklin County Fair in mid-September, operated by representatives from the school and students.
A similar discussion will be held in Deerfield later this month. Citizens group Engage: Deerfield will host “Franklin Tech: To Build or Not to Build?” on Sunday, Aug. 30, at Deerfield Town Hall, 8 Conway St., from 3 to 5 p.m. Doors open at 2:45 p.m.
