Thu Sep 12 00:30:00 UTC 2024: ## North Attleboro School Committee Explores Options for New or Improved High School

**NORTH ATTLEBORO** – The North Attleboro School Committee has been presented with five design options for a new, improved, or expanded high school, and appear to be receptive to the plans.

The architect firm Dore and Whittier of Newburyport presented the options at a recent meeting, including a repair project, a renovation/addition project, and three choices for a new building: one two-story, one three-story, and a combination of the most desired features of both.

No cost estimates have been developed yet, but the school building committee will review the options before choosing a preferred plan in October. This preferred plan will then be presented to the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA), which is expected to fund about half the cost of any project. The community will also be given the opportunity to voice their opinions at a public forum on Monday, August 28th at 6pm in the high school auditorium.

The current high school, a two-story building, is considered undersized for the student population of 1,025. State guidelines recommend a building of approximately 200,000 square feet, while the current school stands at 174,714 square feet. Several classrooms lack windows and are undersized, including the newer science labs.

The design options have been developed based on a new educational plan approved by the school committee, which reflects feedback from the community.

New construction would take approximately two years and would be located to the south of the school on the baseball field, which would be replaced with a new stadium after the current building is demolished.

Plans also include separate entrances and exits for the middle and high schools, as well as separate parent and bus drop-offs to address traffic concerns and improve safety.

The planning process is part of a $2 million feasibility study. The project is expected to go before voters in June 2024 with a proposed tax hike, and the school committee believes it will be a well-thought-out and exciting proposal for the community.

For more information, visit http://www.naschools.net.

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