Acushnet boards hear $288 million Old Colony school pitch ahead of November vote

ACUSHNET — October 28, 2025 — Acushnet boards scrutinize $288 million Old Colony vocational school proposal ahead of November 18 vote. The Select Board and Finance Committee held a joint session with Old Colony Regional Vocational Technical High School Superintendent Aaron Polanski and owner's project manager team PMA Consultants to review the project, which would build a new 270,000-square-foot school for 776 students with the Massachusetts School Building Authority contributing approximately $129 million, or about 60.5 percent of eligible costs. Finance Committee Chair Mike Boucher raised concern that expanding enrollment from roughly 53 Acushnet students annually to 106 could nearly double the town's annual assessment to Old Colony, warning against tax overrides to fund operations. Resident John Tibbs challenged the cost structure, noting an average Acushnet homeowner faces a projected $1,200 annual tax increase compared to roughly $142 for a Mattapoisett homeowner, while casting the same vote. Polanski defended the aggregated five-town vote structure, saying a town-by-town approach would have added $8 million in costs if any single community voted no.