School leaders have cancelled school on Jan. 25 in anticipation of a ballot vote on building a new elementary school, but it remains up to selectmen to select the date.
Selectmen will discuss the issue at their Aug. 23 meeting.
The School and School Building committees have selected Dec. 6 for a Special Town Meeting and Jan. 25 for a ballot vote for residents. Public school has been cancelled for Jan. 25, because polling stations at Andover High School are expected to swell with a high voter turnout.
Bancroft Elementary School, built in 1969, has structural problems. Assuming the Massachusetts School Building Authority guidelines are met, the state will reimburse Andover for a minimum of 40 percent of building costs.
Through the summer, the School Building Committee and project architect have been crafting a design for the new school. If plans are approved by the MSBA this fall, the town has 120 days to get resident approval at a Special Town Meeting and a ballot vote.
Residents would need to approve a debt-exclusion override, which allows the town to temporarily raise taxes above the limits set under Proposition 2 1/2 to pay for the new school.
"There's been a lot of work put into this by the (School Building) Committee, and I personally support whatever their schedule is. That group has done great work over the last three-plus years," said Selectman Alex Vispoli, board chairman. "I think we'll support (the Dec. 6 and Jan. 25 dates), speaking for myself.
"The challenge is going to be if we can get the town yard questions answered and also be part of that (Town) Meeting. That's where a lot of the heavy lifting has to be," said Vispoli.
A $21.9 million proposal to relocate the town yard was withdrawn from the April 2010 Town Meeting warrant. Town leaders have suggested adding the town yard project to the warrant of the Special Town Meeting aimed at replacing Bancroft Elementary. Town yard, located on a roughly three-acre parcel off Lewis Street, has fuel pumps and a maintenance garage for town vehicles, salt and sand for winter roads and overnight parking for some, but not all, of the town's vehicle fleet.
Assistant Town Clerk Kathy McKenna said Andover High School facilities have been put on hold for both the Dec. 6 and Jan. 25 dates. It's up to selectmen to chose whether the events are held in the field house or Collins Center, said McKenna. Selectmen will also choose when to open and close the warrant, which gives residents the opportunity to add other issues to the Town Meeting discussion.
"The selectmen are the body that chose those actions. We just do the legwork ... There's a lot of unknown factors that we'll know more about after Monday's (selectmen's) meeting," McKenna said. "My understanding is that override issues tend to bring out a larger crowd than normal."
Earlier this month, the School Committee voted to cancel school on Tuesday, Jan. 25, in anticipation of the special election. An extra day was then added onto the end of the year. The last day of school will now be Wednesday, June 15 if no snow days are used.
"We're anticipating a large turnout as this is a debt-exclusion override (of Proposition 2 1/2). The town clerk asked if we would close the high school. Because of the state regulation of having a minimum of 180 days, we needed to close down the entire system and add the date onto the end of the year," said School Committee Chairman Dennis Forgue. "Logistically, it makes the most sense to have the entire system open or not open. You get into food services and busing issues - all the schools are intertwined."
