The Mosier School, grades 2-4, constructed in 1969, has far surpassed its expected lifespan and is in need of attention. While the Mosier school has been well maintained for the past 45 years, we have not seen significant repairs or enhancements, leaving us with a facility past the point of regular maintenance.

Students and staff contend with drafty windows, exterior doors that fail to close properly, uneven floors, and outdated heating, ventilation, and electrical systems. These shortcomings greatly diminish our ability to deliver educational programs that align with modern practice.

The town has outgrown this building, relying on 4 modular classrooms to accommodate students for the last 25 years—initially intended as a temporary fix. Additionally, the school fails to meet today’s standards for air quality, fire safety, accessibility, and overall safety.

Working with the MSBA presents an opportunity to not only provide a new or improved facility but reimagine the educational delivery system with a new grade configuration that meets South Hadley’s student and family needs. Choosing not to accept the MSBA’s financial support would significantly reduce the return on our community’s investment, and could lead to higher long-term costs for taxpayers.

The Feasibility Phase will officially begin when the designer is selected this June. During the Feasibility Study, the School Building Committee, Town Officials, and the South Hadley School District work with the MSBA to document the educational program for the proposed Elementary School, generate a space summary, document existing conditions, establish design parameters, develop and evaluate alternatives, and recommend the most cost effective and educationally appropriate preferred solution to the MSBA Board of Directors for their consideration in October 2026.

During this phase, the Building Committee will submit the Preliminary Design Program (PDP) in February 2026, and Preferred Schematic Report (PSR) in August 2026.  Approval of both reports by the MSBA Board of Directors is required for the project to proceed into Schematic Design.

Designer Selection June 2025 

Educational Visioning Workshops Fall 2025

Community Forums Fall 2025 - Winter 2026 

Preliminary Design Program submission Feb. 2026 

MSBA approval of preferred solution Oct. 2026

Special Town Vote: Sept. 2027

The earliest estimate based on the forthcoming Preliminary Design Program will be done in February 2026. This will provide a range of costs for the three options being studied; code upgrade, renovation/addition, and new construction. These costs will be further refined in August 2026, with the Preferred Schematic Report. At this point, one option will be selected by the SBC to develop into the Schematic Design Phase. With the MSBA’s approval in October 2026, the design team will further develop the preferred option for a Schematic Design estimate to be completed in the Summer of 2027. 

Only at the close of the Schematic Design phase, in the Summer of 2027, with MSBA approval, will the project costs be finalized. At that time, the MSBA’s contribution will also be confirmed, as will the tax impact for South Hadley. At that stage, the Town will be asked to appropriate the entire project budget amount and MSBA will formalize their agreed-upon contribution, likely in the tens of millions, based on the eligible reimbursement.

The MSBA is a quasi-independent state authority that supports communities across the Commonwealth in creating educationally appropriate, cost effective, sustainable, and energy efficient schools. It provides taxpayers significant reimbursements for school construction projects. The MSBA derives its revenue from the state sales tax.

School districts that participate in the MSBA program must follow a strict process in order to receive financial assistance. Several plans are currently under consideration and a single one will be selected soon and voted on by the SBC next summer.

Every year, the MSBA accepts a small handful of school districts into the program that subsidizes the cost of renovating or building a new school. 

Based on the last six years of data, MSBA received about 60-65 Statements Of Interest and accepted 10-12, translating to a 15-20% acceptance rate. In 2023 the MSBA selected Mosier Elementary School as one of only 19 schools out of 63, based on its urgent need. 

MSBA’s core program has become more competitive in recent years as 1960s-era school facilities age out, construction costs sharply rise, and the MSBA’s state sales tax revenue has decreased. In 2022 sales tax revenue was 1.65% lower than the previous year, representing a loss of roughly $400M of MSBA grant funding.

This decrease in MSBA revenue is significantly impacting the number of invited districts. It is creating a ripple effect for future applications, making the program more and more selective each year.

While renovating or rebuilding in partnership with the MSBA will be costly, passing on this opportunity means that taxpayers will bear the ever increasing costs and challenges of keeping the school functioning. The bottom line is that turning down millions in state aid will also be very costly, but we will not get nearly as much in return for our tax dollars, and the end product would likely be an inferior design.

The School Building Committee (SBC) includes town/school district employees and community members who provide input, guidance, and authorization throughout the planning process on behalf of our community. Read our Meet the Committee profile for more information.

Have questions or comments for the SBC? Email us: shbuilds@shschools.com. Community members are also welcome to join our monthly SBC meetings. Please see the town agenda center for our scheduled meetings.