December 11, 2019 by Hingham Public Schools
Superintendent of Schools, Paul Austin, and the Hingham School Committee are pleased to announce that the Board of Directors for the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA) voted unanimously today to authorize an invitation to the Town of Hingham into its Eligibility Period for state funding of the renovation or replacement of Foster Elementary. This is incredibly welcome news for Hingham Public Schools, the Town of Hingham, and for the Foster Community.
Former Hingham Superintendent, Dr. Dorothy Galo, submitted the first Statement of Interest for Foster Elementary in April, 2017. In support of that application, Hingham voters approved an amount of $750,000 at town meeting (April, 2017) to fund the required feasibility study should the MSBA vote in favor of the Statement of Interest. Although the MSBA considered the application, the town was not invited into the eligibility period. The district filed a second Statement of Interest in April, 2018, and once again, the MSBA did not invite the town into eligibility. After much discussion in early 2019, the Hingham School Committee, in collaboration with town officials, decided to submit a third Statement of Interest, which was submitted in April, 2019.
Now that the MSBA has invited the Town of Hingham into Eligibility, town and school officials, along with the Hingham School Building Committee are ready to go to work. We are all grateful that the MSBA is supporting our application, and while there is much work to be done over the course of the next several months and years, we are fully committed to seeing this project through.
This day would not be possible without the support of so many people in the Town of Hingham. Special thanks go out to former Superintendent Dr. Dorothy Galo; Director of Business and Support Services, John Ferris; Foster Principal, Dr. Elizabeth Wilcox; members of the Hingham School Committee; Board of Selectmen; Advisory Council; Town Officials; and, members of the Hingham School Building Committee. In addition, we are especially thankful for the support of our State Representatives Joan Meschino and James Murphy, and State Senator, Patrick O’Connor.
Hingham Public Schools administrators and members of the School and School Building Committees attended an orientation today with the MSBA for the first phase of the work ahead. The Hingham Community will be updated as more information becomes available.