BOSTON, MA – Katherine Craven, Executive Director of the Massachusetts School Building Authority (“MSBA”), was in Grafton today. On behalf of State Treasurer Tim Cahill, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the MSBA, she helped break ground for the new Grafton Memorial Senior High School.
The new 186,351 square-foot facility will serve 900 students grades nine through twelve. The total budget for this project is $72.4 million with the MSBA contributing 56.89% of eligible project costs -- or up to $36,583,271.
“I am pleased to be here to participate in this groundbreaking,” said Katherine Craven, MSBA Executive Director. “The new Grafton Memorial High School will eliminate the current overcrowding and will provide the space the Town needs to accommodate future growth.”
“We found the most economically sound and educationally appropriate solution to the problems at Grafton High School. This new school will mean a 21st century learning and teaching environment for the students and teachers of Grafton,” stated Treasurer Cahill. “And we are building it in a cost-effective way.”
The MSBA strives to find the right-sized, most fiscally responsible and educationally appropriate solutions to create safe and sound learning environments. The MSBA is committed to protecting the taxpayer’s dollar by improving the school building grant process and avoiding the mistakes of the past in the funding and construction of school facilities.
The MSBA has reformed the Commonwealth’s formerly rampant and unsustainable program, which had accumulated $11 billion in debt. In 2007, as a result of programmatic reforms and sound fiscal management, the MSBA was able to reopen a sustainable, reformed grant program. In its six year history, the MSBA has made nearly $7.3 billion in reimbursements to cities, towns and regional school districts for school construction projects. These timely payments have saved municipalities over $2.9 billion in avoided local interest costs and have provided much needed cash flow to communities in these difficult economic times.
