What a Yes Vote Means

• A YES vote will lock communities in to a commitment of at least $444.6 million and any cost overages during the life of the project.

• A YES vote will raise property taxes if voters approve new borrowing

• A YES vote will potentially require operational cuts (depending on the amount borrowed) to Schools, Libraries, Councils on Aging and other services.

What a No Vote Means

• A NO vote rejects the $444.6 million price tag and the debt it requires.

• A NO vote creates the opportunity to modify the plan for the MSBA, start a new grant application, and/or develop a renovation plan.

• A NO vote does NOT automatically trigger renovations. Future expenditures for Whittier are still subject to a vote, either via ballot question or as part of Whittier’s annual operating budget.

Ballot Question (Download)

Do you approve of the vote of the Regional District School Committee of the Whittier Regional Vocational Technical School District, adopted on December 13, 2023, to authorize the borrowing of four hundred, forty-four million, six-hundred thirteen thousand, eight-hundred, thirteen dollars ($444,613,813) to pay costs of designing, constructing, originally equipping and furnishing a new District high school to be located at 115 Amesbury Line Road, Haverhill, Massachusetts, including the payment of all costs incidental or related thereto, which vote provides, in relevant part, as follows:

“VOTED: That the Whittier Regional Vocational Technical School District (the "District") hereby appropriates the amount of four hundred forty-four million six-hundred thirteen thousand eight-hundred thirteen dollars ($444,613,813) for the purpose of paying costs of designing, constructing, originally equipping and furnishing a new District high school and related athletic facilities, located at 115 Amesbury Line Road, Haverhill, Massachusetts, including the payment of all costs incidental and related thereto (the "Project''), which school facility shall have an anticipated useful life as an educational facility for the instruction of school children of at least 50 years, and for which the District may be eligible for a school construction grant from the Massachusetts School Building Authority ("MSBA"), said amount to be expended at the direction of the School Building Committee. To meet this appropriation the District is authorized to borrow said amount, under and pursuant to G.L. c. 71, §16(n), G.L. c. 71, §14D and the District Agreement, as amended, or pursuant to any other enabling authority. The District acknowledges that the MSBA's grant program is a non-entitlement, discretionary program based on need as determined by the MSBA, and any Project costs the District incurs in excess of any grant approved by and received from the MSBA shall be the sole responsibility of the District; provided further that any grant that the District may receive from the MSBA shall not exceed the lesser of (1) sixty-one and thirty-nine one hundredths percent (61.39%) of eligible, approved Project costs, as determined by the MSBA, and (2) the total maximum grant amount determined by the MSBA, and that the amount of borrowing authorized pursuant to this vote shall be reduced by any grant amount set forth in the Project Funding Agreement that may be executed between the District and the MSBA. The debt authorized by this vote of the Committee shall be submitted to the registered voters of the District's member communities for approval at a District-wide election to be held on January 23, 2024 in accordance with the provisions of G.L. c. 71, §16(n) G.L. c. 71, §14D and the District Agreement."