Minuteman FAQ:
Why is there a referendum on September 20, 2016?
The decision has been made by the Minuteman School Committee to construct a new building at a total cost of $144,922,478 million. The Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA) has committed to funding up to $44,139,213, the district must borrow the balance.
Pursuant to M.G.L. Ch. 71, Sec. 16(d), which describes the powers and duties of a school district, the district may authorize borrowing of capital funds in two different ways:
First,the member towns may “…hold a town meeting for the purpose of expressing disapproval of the amount of debt authorized by the district committee and if at that meeting a majority of the voters present and voting express disapproval of the amount authorized by the district committee, the debt shall not be incurred…” At Belmont’s May 4th, 2016 Special Town Meeting to consider the issue, Town Meeting voted 141-81 against issuing the debt.
The decision was then made by the Minuteman School Committee to “…hold an election in the member communities to authorize debt for the purposes of building a school building by a majority vote…” pursuant to M.G.L. Ch. 71, Sec. 16(n). The election will be held from noon-8:00pm on September 20, 2016?
Why can I only vote from noon-8:00pm on September 20, 2016?
The communities are limited by statute to keep the polls open for eight hours. Pursuant to M.G.L. Ch. 71, Sec. 16(n), the district may hold an election in the member communities to authorize debt for the purposes of building a school building by a majority vote but: the hours during which all the polls in the district are open shall be uniform throughout the district and shall be not less than four nor more than eight consecutive hours.
How much will the new building cost?
The new building is projected to cost up to $144,922,478 of which the MBSA will contribute a grant of up to $44,139,213.
How will the cost of the new building be distributed to the different communities?
The debt service costs for the proposed new school would raise per student assessments by $8,463 per student based an equal share paid by all students based on full projected enrollment. DESE has the power to add a capital assessment to the fees paid by non-member communities, but it has never been done before so there is no precedent to see how DESE would allocate the cost (but see for one possibility 603 CMR 4.03 (6)(b)4.c).
How much does it cost member communities to send a student to Minuteman?
For member communities cost per student varies based on enrollment, transportation and other factors. A full breakout of costs can be seen on pages 34-36 of the FY17 budget book, which is the basis for the per pupil cost chart below:
| Acton | Total FTE Students | Total Assessment | Assessment/Students |
| 2017 | 33 | $ 997,655 | $ 30,231.97 |
| 2016 | 30 | $ 925,545 | $ 30,851.50 |
| 2015 | 26 | $ 760,052 | $ 29,232.77 |
| 2014 | 21 | $ 686,980 | $ 32,713.33 |
| 2013 | 30 | $ 801,938 | $ 26,731.27 |
| Arlington | |||
| 2017 | 120 | $ 3,649,349 | $ 30,411.24 |
| 2016 | 152 | $ 4,010,950 | $ 26,387.83 |
| 2015 | 165 | $ 3,788,615 | $ 22,961.30 |
| 2014 | 138 | $ 3,336,935 | $ 24,180.69 |
| 2013 | 139 | $ 3,022,146 | $ 21,742.06 |
| Belmont | |||
| 2017 | 26 | $ 795,654 | $ 30,602.08 |
| 2016 | 31 | $ 831,520 | $ 26,823.23 |
| 2015 | 31 | $ 751,046 | $ 24,227.29 |
| 2014 | 34 | $ 851,984 | $ 25,058.35 |
| 2013 | 41 | $ 940,000 | $ 22,926.83 |
| Bolton | |||
| 2017 | 9 | $ 398,810 | $ 44,312.22 |
| 2016 | 10 | $ 428,949 | $ 42,894.90 |
| 2015 | 11 | $ 385,740 | $ 35,067.27 |
| 2014 | 10 | $ 357,347 | $ 35,734.70 |
| 2013 | 10 | $ 341,165 | $ 34,116.50 |
| Boxborough | |||
| 2017 | 7 | $ 197,492 | $ 28,213.14 |
| 2016 | 5 | $ 165,341 | $ 33,068.20 |
| 2015 | 5 | $ 147,254 | $ 29,450.80 |
| 2014 | 6 | $ 177,557 | $ 29,592.83 |
| 2013 | 8 | $ 227,929 | $ 28,491.13 |
| Carlisle | |||
| 2017 | 5 | $ 173,559 | $ 34,711.80 |
| 2016 | 8 | $ 226,284 | $ 28,285.50 |
| 2015 | 12 | $ 327,520 | $ 27,293.33 |
| 2014 | 9 | $ 246,153 | $ 27,350.33 |
| 2013 | 7 | $ 190,231 | $ 27,175.86 |
| Concord | |||
| 2017 | 17 | $ 423,444 | $ 24,908.47 |
| 2016 | 16 | $ 407,041 | $ 25,440.06 |
| 2015 | 7 | $ 191,689 | $ 27,384.14 |
| 2014 | 9 | $ 227,033 | $ 25,225.89 |
| 2013 | 18 | $ 437,910 | $ 24,328.33 |
| Dover | |||
| 2017 | 2 | $ 75,016 | $ 37,508.00 |
| 2016 | 3 | $ 91,149 | $ 30,383.00 |
| 2015 | 1 | $ 37,798 | $ 37,798.00 |
| 2014 | 2 | $ 67,530 | $ 33,765.00 |
| 2013 | 2 | $ 60,573 | $ 30,286.50 |
| Lancaster | |||
| 2017 | 39 | $ 1,000,558 | $ 25,655.33 |
| 2016 | 32 | $ 964,837 | $ 30,151.16 |
| 2015 | 27 | $ 699,343 | $ 25,901.59 |
| 2014 | 22 | $ 348,294 | $ 15,831.55 |
| 2013 | 19 | $ 560,764 | $ 29,513.89 |
| Lexington | |||
| 2017 | 57 | $ 1,377,449 | $ 24,165.77 |
| 2016 | 52 | $ 1,172,735 | $ 22,552.60 |
| 2015 | 52 | $ 1,244,385 | $ 23,930.48 |
| 2014 | 60 | $ 1,474,265 | $ 24,571.08 |
| 2013 | 63 | $ 1,407,978 | $ 22,348.86 |
| Lincoln | |||
| 2017 | 11 | $ 239,876 | $ 21,806.91 |
| 2016 | 6 | $ 150,973 | $ 25,162.17 |
| 2015 | 6 | $ 138,243 | $ 23,040.50 |
| 2014 | 4 | $ 99,012 | $ 24,753.00 |
| 2013 | 4 | $ 95,655 | $ 23,913.75 |
| Needham | |||
| 2017 | 25 | $ 766,061 | $ 30,642.44 |
| 2016 | 24 | $ 650,010 | $ 27,083.75 |
| 2015 | 35 | $ 893,211 | $ 25,520.31 |
| 2014 | 27 | $ 733,961 | $ 27,183.74 |
| 2013 | 34 | $ 777,052 | $ 22,854.47 |
| Stow | |||
| 2017 | 13 | $ 577,577 | $ 44,429.00 |
| 2016 | 19 | $ 618,679 | $ 32,562.05 |
| 2015 | 22 | $ 657,205 | $ 29,872.95 |
| 2014 | 26 | $ 766,081 | $ 29,464.65 |
| 2013 | 23 | $ 620,008 | $ 26,956.87 |
| Sudbury | |||
| 2017 | 25 | $ 623,943 | $ 24,957.72 |
| 2016 | 25 | $ 694,383 | $ 27,775.32 |
| 2015 | 22 | $ 543,451 | $ 24,702.32 |
| 2014 | 17 | $ 444,836 | $ 26,166.82 |
| 2013 | 11 | $ 274,416 | $ 24,946.91 |
| Wayland | |||
| 2017 | 2 | $ 93,215 | $ 46,607.50 |
| 2016 | 4 | $ 109,056 | $ 27,264.00 |
| 2015 | 9.5 | $ 203,027 | $ 21,371.26 |
| 2014 | 9.5 | $ 212,417 | $ 22,359.68 |
| 2013 | 11.5 | $ 257,221 | $ 22,367.04 |
| Weston | |||
| 2017 | 5 | $ 122,810 | $ 24,562.00 |
| 2016 | 3 | $ 91,498 | $ 30,499.33 |
| 2015 | 4 | $ 110,127 | $ 27,531.75 |
| 2014 | 4 | $ 104,311 | $ 26,077.75 |
| 2013 | 3 | $ 81,925 | $ 27,308.33 |
How much does it cost a non-member communities to send a student to Minuteman?
Minuteman non-member tuition is set annually by DESE:
FY2014: $18,309
FY2015: $18,467
FY2016: $17,556
FY2017: $16,464
Please note, this does not include transportation costs and special education costs which together, assuming that 50% of kids have IEPs, add an average of roughly $4,000 per student.
How does the per pupil cost of Minuteman compare to other regional vocational schools?
FY15 per pupil expenditure:
| MINUTEMAN | $28,208 |
| SOUTH MIDDLESEX | $25,758 |
| CAPE COD | $24,490 |
| FRANKLIN COUNTY | $23,625 |
| NORFOLK COUNTY | $22,391 |
| PATHFINDER | $22,343 |
| ESSEX NORTH SHORE | $21,462 |
| BLUE HILLS | $21,335 |
| UPPER CAPE COD | $21,313 |
| GREATER LAWRENCE | $20,558 |
| NORTHEAST METROPOLITAN | $20,309 |
| SOUTH SHORE | $20,232 |
| SOUTHEASTERN | $20,010 |
| NORTHERN BERKSHIRE | $19,712 |
| SHAWSHEEN VALLEY | $19,299 |
| OLD COLONY | $19,291 |
| BRISTOL COUNTY | $19,277 |
| GREATER LOWELL | $18,952 |
| ASSABET VALLEY | $18,673 |
| GREATER NEW BEDFORD | $18,579 |
| BLACKSTONE VALLEY | $18,349 |
| MONTACHUSETT | $18,275 |
| WHITTIER | $18,273 |
| GREATER FALL RIVER | $18,089 |
| SOUTHERN WORCESTER | $17,881 |
| TRI COUNTY | $17,806 |
| BRISTOL PLYMOUTH | $17,516 |
| NASHOBA VALLEY | $17,030 |
Source: DESE PPE15
Where can I find a copy of the Minuteman Operating Budget?
Where can I find a copy of the regional agreement governing the Minuteman District?
1980 Regional Agreement
2016 Regional Agreement, effective 3/11/2016
What has been the enrollment at Minuteman High School?
| Belmont | Total Member Enrollment | Total Non-Member Enrollment | Total | |
| 2001 | 28 | 418 | 379 | 797 |
| 2002 | 26 | 416 | 343 | 759 |
| 2003 | 30 | 492 | 303 | 795 |
| 2004 | 31 | 522 | 270 | 792 |
| 2005 | 34 | 520 | 254 | 774 |
| 2006 | 24 | 479 | 245 | 724 |
| 2007 | 31 | 455 | 245 | 700 |
| 2008 | 33 | 438 | 260 | 698 |
| 2009 | 38 | 430 | 250 | 680 |
| 2010 | 41 | 445 | 309 | 754 |
| 2011 | 41 | 430 | 355 | 785 |
| 2012 | 34 | 409 | 340 | 749 |
| 2013 | 31 | 437 | 356 | 793 |
| 2014 | 31 | 410 | 332 | 742 |
| 2015 | 26 | 390.5 | 227 | 667.5 |
See page 15 of the FY17 budget for full enrollment data.
What is the projected future enrollment of Minuteman High School?
The new school is designed to accommodate 628 students: 524 in-district, 104 out-of-district within 5 years. (see pg. 7)
What kind of educational programming is offered at Minuteman?
The new building will allow Minuteman to offer 16 different career concentrations:
Advanced Manufacturing, Automotive Technology, Biotechnology, Carpentry, Cosmetology/Barbering, Culinary/Hospitality, Design & Visual Communications, Early Education & Care, Electrical, Environmental Science & Technology, Health Occupations, Horticulture, Multi-Media Engineering, Plumbing, Programming & Web Development and Robotics Engineering Automation. (see Minuteman’s Educational Program Plan and Labor Market Analysis for full details)
What happens to Minuteman Students after graduation?
| 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | |
| Total Graduates | 129 | 139 | 142 | 93 | 148 | 170 |
| 4 Year College | 34% | 38% | 44% | 39% | 44% | 55% |
| 2 Year College | 34% | 30% | 20% | 22% | 23% | 9% |
| Employed | 19% | 12% | 27% | 23% | 19% | 24% |
| Military | 5% | 3% | 3% | 8% | 7% | 4% |
| Advanced Technical Training | 4% | 5% | 1% | 2% | 1% | 3% |
See page 12
Additional Resources:
Minuteman Regional Vocational Technical School District
Belmont Town Meeting Documents for 2016 Special Town Meeting: May 4, 2016
Regardless of what the Minuteman leadership thinks will happen, it it likely that the project cost will exceed the $144,922,478 budget. WHO WILL PAY FOR THE OVERRUN? Very likely the member towns will have to cover the excess costs. This is a serious gap in the discussion.