Acushnet boards hold final forum before November 18 Old Colony school vote

ACUSHNET — November 11, 2025 — Acushnet's Select Board and Finance Committee held a final joint session on the proposed $288.7 million Old Colony Regional Vocational Technical High School, one week before a November 18 special election. Finance Committee Chairman Mike Boucher pressed Old Colony officials on long-term operating costs, noting that Acushnet's required minimum local contribution to education rose $685,000 last year and that the town is 88 percent dependent on property taxes. Owner's project manager Chad Crittenden of PMA Consultants presented a repair-versus-replace analysis showing a repair-only path would cost the district an estimated $182 million over 30 years while leaving 30 percent of building needs unaddressed, compared to a $148 million local share under the MSBA new-construction option after roughly 60.5 percent reimbursement plus $11 million in rebates and tax credits. Superintendent Danny Polansky said Acushnet's allocation under the new state-mandated enrollment lottery is projected at 40 to 50 students per incoming class, a modest dip from the current average of more than 200 enrolled townwide. A motion made from the floor and seconded by Selectman Bob Hinkley to light up town message boards publicizing the November 18 vote was approved unanimously; the owner of an $800,000 home faces an estimated $1,100 annual tax increase under the debt exclusion.