Yes to NAHS: North Attleborough voters pass debt exclusion for new high school project

By Geena Monahan—For the North Star Reporter

On June 3, North Attleborough voters said yes to a new high school, voting 3,981 to 2,449 in favor of a debt exclusion to Proposition 2 1/2, to fund the project, an issue which has created contentious debate and a barrage of divisive social media posts in recent months.

There was a steady stream of cars up and down Wilson W. Whitty Way throughout the day, with traffic at times backing up onto Landry Avenue as residents waited to cast their votes for the future of the high school. Between 10 and 20 sign-holders could be seen at any given time lining the sidewalks with “Yes to NAHS” signs, accompanied by a lone “Vote No” for most of the morning, creating an image that would prove indicative of the final results. 

“I am just so grateful to be a part of North Attleborough,” said Keith Lapointe, vice president-elect of the Town Council and member of the School Building Committee. “It truly can be thought of as one long red line of committed people building one of the most special places in the world. I am so proud to call North Attleborough home.”

Of North Attleborough’s nine voting precincts, each cast a majority of “yes” votes. Precinct 4 had the closest margin, voting 175-168 in favor, while Precinct 8 had the largest margin of 337 between those voting in favor and those against. 

Of the 24,451 registered voters in North Attleborough, 6,464 residents came out to vote. A 26% turnout was a strong showing for a community, which had a turnout of only 12% for April’s Town Election, but not quite enough to beat 2018’s Special Election for a Proposition 2 ½ override that drew 7,623 voters to the polls. 

One resident who supported the new high school project, which has been eight years in the making, was Karen McNamara. According to McNamara, she has lived in town for over 40 years and, although she no longer has children in the school system, she felt it was worth voting “yes.” 

“Both of my daughters went through the North Attleborough school system. We’ve paid our taxes for years, and we understand that we need to keep up the schools in the community in order to maintain our property values,” said McNamara. “Even 15 years ago, when my daughters graduated, the school was not up to where it should be in terms of accessibility and opportunities for science labs, so I feel that it’s overdue.”

Matt Sargo echoed similar sentiments. He moved back to North Attleborough about eight years ago and, despite not having any children, still voted in favor of a new high school. Justin Meyer, a 24-year-old lifelong resident of North Attleborough, experienced the deficiencies of the current high school first-hand when he attended it and made sure to stop and vote in favor of the debt exclusion while on his way to work.

“This is inadequate. Just on the face value of it, the fact that half the school doesn’t have windows is reason enough for me,” said Sargo. “It’s only going to cost more money the longer we wait.”

In opposition to the project were residents concerned about increases in property taxes, especially senior citizens who are living on fixed incomes. 

The new high school will cost $287,861,098, with $180,861,098 of that number to be funded by the town’s property owning taxpayers. For a home assessed at the town’s average value of $569,820, taxes will increase by approximately $1,000 a year. The remaining $107 million for the project will be reimbursed through funding from the Massachusetts School Building Authority.

Michael and Claudia Moloney, North Attleborough residents for 48 years, and David and Diane Sharon, homeowners in town since 1979, were members of the older population in town who went to the polls to vote against the debt exclusion.

“It’s a big financial risk—we’re both retired,” said Michael Moloney. “Things are so uncertain out there with Trump, so we feel holding tight is a really good idea at this time.” 

“We always vote, but this is special. We don’t want our taxes raised,” said Diane Sharon. “We’re seniors and we just don’t think it’s right.”

Looking to the future

Construction on the new high school is slated to begin next year, with the goal of having the building occupied by August 2028. The project also includes new fields, an improved traffic pattern and a stormwater retention system to mitigate previous flooding issues, and should be completed by 2029. 

Superintendent John Antonucci, who spoke at Town Council meetings and high school forums over the past few months in favor of the project, gave credit to the “team effort” that came together to push it over the finish line.

“This is a great day for North Attleborough, and I’m incredibly grateful to the voters for their support,” said Antonucci. “We invested a great deal of time and effort into this process, and it’s certainly rewarding to see the hard work pay off. So many staff, parents, students and community members gave their time selflessly, all with a shared goal of making our town better.”

Lapointe, who worked with Antonucci and the rest of the School Building Committee, noted that this all began back in 2017 when the School Department submitted Statements of Interest to the MSBA, and the Board of Selectmen developed a “Four Point Plan for Economic Stability.”

According to Lapointe, one of those four pillars was to invest in capital infrastructure, and he spoke of the importance of the town continuing to be stewards of a community that has been invested in by previous generations. 

“Those investments are critical to ensuring North Attleborough remains the attractive community it has been far into the future,” said Lapointe. “To see all of that sustained work, by so many

committed teams of people, result in the ultimate goal of creating enough trust from the voters to earn their support for a major project like this is so fulfilling.”

The new high school design will boast large windows and exposed wood beams throughout the three-story structure, with interdisciplinary neighborhoods to promote collaboration between students. Hub spaces will be built to focus on jobs of the future such as advanced manufacturing, robotics and engineering. While the current high school is cramped at just 181,000 square footage, the new high school will bring 226,750 square feet of modern, open learning spaces. 

“I appreciate the confidence the community has placed in us, and we are committed to delivering a project worthy of that commitment,” said Antonucci. “The real work begins today.”