Infographic Sources:

• Official Website of the Lexington High School Building Project
• LexObserver: Seven key issues related to the Lexington High School building project
• Cost Comparison Chart Between MA High Schools by the School Building Committee (SBC)
• 6-24 SBC Cost Comparisons Presentation

Background

The thing that seems to be at the forefront of most people’s minds right now is the potential plans for a new high school.

Plans for a new school have been under discussion for a long time, and things have finally started to ramp up with the Debt Exclusion vote expected to occur sometime around November/December, 2025.

In a recent Q&A held by the School Building Committee (SBC) on August 14th, residents have expressed their concerns about the estimated additional $650 million of debt that a brand new high school will place the town in. On top of the fact that that price tag doesn’t even cover everything that might be needed, such as a pool, or a field house.

Impact on Taxpayers

Even with an MSBA grant and the Capital Stabilization Fund (a fund put in place by Town Management in 2022 in anticipation for a new school), outside assistance is only expected to cover about 30% of the cost. The rest of the money will seemingly have to be raised by a property tax increase of 10-14%, equivalent to a $1700-$2400 per household per year.

Those most at-risk to these tax increases are the Lexington residents who are middle-class or elders on fixed-income. They may face the very real possibility of being pushed out of town.

With the other renovations and building projects currently being undergone in Lexington (and the others to come), some aren’t even sure the town is ready to take on so much debt in one go, including a group of residents at LHS4all.com who are fighting for an alternative plan for the school.

The Infograph

To put everything in perspective, I’ve created an infographic which compares the new Lexington High School (LHS) project with four other Massachusetts with timelines closest to our own.

However, it is also important to consider that the other MA schools have construction bid dates closer to the present than the one proposed for Lexington, which means our higher price is partially due to inflation.

Therefore, one of the charts comparing cost per square foot is adjusted for escalation (an increase in the price of materials or labor during a project), while the preceding one is unadjusted. I hope the comparison may provide a helpful starting point for those who wish to have some sort of bench mark for comparison.