District Towns Support Budget & Bond Request

Our Annual Budget & Bond Request 
This spring, the Blackstone Valley Vocational Regional School District's proposed annual budget and bond for major roof repairs sought approval from its 13 sending towns at the town meeting and, in some cases, at the town election. The FY25 annual budget earned unanimous support from its District towns. While the bond for major roof repairs received unanimous support, a debt exclusion ballot action is pending in the town of Douglas on July 30 and in Millbury on September 3.

The proposed bond for major roof repairs, eligible for reimbursement under the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA) Accelerated Repair Program, would address replacing approximately 60,000 square feet of the 34-year-old roofing system and 37 heating/ventilation/air conditioning (HVAC) rooftop units. They are reaching the end of their life expectancy and beginning to fail as expected. The District aims to replace them with higher efficiency units, ensuring long-term energy savings. 

This cost-saving approach will significantly reduce the debt associated with the repairs, and energy-saving grants will further lower costs for the HVAC portion of the project. Each member community enjoys a partnership with twelve other towns that share and contribute to this cost-effective capital improvement venture. The strength of BVT's application to the Commonwealth would increase should the Douglas and Millbury voters join its member communities in accepting its portion of a bond. The first step is local approval, and the borrowing for the project only occurs if the state approves reimbursement for the project.

With the continued support of its member communities, the District takes the necessary steps as responsible stewards to address much-needed repairs, protecting your investment and the safety of its students and staff for years to come. To learn more, visit www.valleytech.k12.ma.us/annualbudget.