School Building Project
The School Building Project has been a multi-year planning process to address the overcapacity in Scarborough's three K-2 primary schools and the Middle School. A $160M proposed solution failed in a referendum vote in November 2023, and now the Town and Board of Education are working toward a revised solution and approach to meeting the needs of the community.
Background
In 2023, the Scarborough Board of Education worked with a School Building Committee to develop a solution for the limitations of Scarborough school facilities, including their condition and capacity. What emerged was the "K-8 Strategic Project & New Primary School" project. It was described as "a holistic strategic solution for our K-8 schools to solve facilities inadequacies and inefficiencies by reorganizing grade levels, aligning our student populations, and building a new consolidated primary school that addresses educational equity, operational efficiency, population growth, flexibility, safety & security, and 21st century learning and teaching methods."
The proposed project was brought to the Town Council for approval to have the proposed $160M school project on the November 2023 referendum ballot. The school building project was ultimately rejected in the November 7, 2023 election by a vote of 3,363 Yes and 5,913 No (198 Blanks). The continued issues affecting the schools require ongoing work toward a solution.
The School Building Advisory Committee (SBAC) was formed In February 2024, following the defeat of the Unified School Proposal at the polls in Nov 2023. After the proposal was rejected by the voters, the Town Council and School Board sought to bring the public back into the conversation about a school solution. This citizen-led group have brought their expertise and interests to the process, alongside elected officials.
In Phase 1 (Feb 2024 - June 2024), SBAC members divided into subcommittees to study different aspects of school needs and to review and analyze the work of the previous School committee. Subcommittees developed a clear picture of Scarborough’s school needs related to programming and infrastructure; reviewed and updated enrollment projections; analyzed previous financial assumptions; and developed new benchmark costs for future construction. Committee members also reviewed the research from the March 2024 School Survey. With this background firmly established, individual teams began to explore fiscally responsible solutions to Scarborough’s school needs. Ultimately, in June 2024 the committee recommended four concept options to move forward to Phase 2 of the School Project.
Phase 2 began in Nov 2024, and the SBAC interviewed design and engineering firms to continue this work. Harriman Architects was selected by a unanimous vote of the hiring committee. The firm was charged with analyzing and further developing the concepts from Phase 1. The architects were also asked to explore other solutions that would arise during their analysis of Scarborough’s school needs. Harriman identified three additional concepts, bringing the total number of potential solutions to seven, as of Jan 2025.
Committee Meetings
Meetings are recorded and available to view on the Scarborough Schools YouTube page (view here). The School Calendar lists all meetings and includes links to participate in the meetings via Zoom (view here).
Resources
All materials regarding the project are available on the Scarborough Schools website. This includes infographics, flyers, videos, FAQs, and more.
Contact
Please use the following email addresses to direct any questions, comments, or concerns related to the school building project.
School Building Advisory Committee
sbac@scarboroughschools.org (Sent to all members)
School Building Advisory Committee Leadership
bclt@scarboroughschools.org (Sent to committee leadership only)
Scarborough Town Council
towncouncil@scarboroughmaine.org
April Sither, Chair
asither@scarboroughmaine.org
Board of Education
boe@scarboroughschools.org
Shannon Lindstrom, Chair
slindstrom@scarboroughschools.org