Hopkinton's new elementary school heads to the polls: How it will impact taxpayers

HOPKINTON — Voters at Special Town Meeting this week overwhelmingly approved a $158.4 million plan to construct a new Elmwood Elementary School.

Monday's 622-241 vote easily cleared the two-thirds majority required. The plan now heads to a special election on Nov. 28, where a simple majority for approval is needed to move the effort forward.

The new school building, which would house grades 2-4, would replace the existing Elmwood Elementary, which serves just second and third graders. The Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA) is set to reimburse the town up to $61.5 million for the project; the town will then contribute $91.2 million over the course of the project's 30-year borrowing period.

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The project has been in the works for a while, with the first statement of interest submitted to the MSBA in 2007. The project was accepted into the MSBA new school building project in 2021.

On Aug. 23, the Hopkinton Select Board voted 4-0-1 on the $158.4 million budget recommendation for the new school. Chair Muriel Kramer abstained, raising concerns about the increase in property taxes and its effects on Hopkinton residents.

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The new Elmwood building is designed to house up to 1,195 students in grades 2-4. The current school building, at 14 Elm St., was opened in 1965 and was most recently renovated in 2006, according to the MSBA website.

But since that last renovation, Hopkinton's population has increased sharply. The number of residents in town grew by nearly 26% — from 14,925 to 18,758 — from 2010-20, according to the U.S. Census. That far exceeded state and national growth, both of which were 7.4%, while Middlesex County grew by 8.6%.

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Hopkinton reported 4,163 students in its public school system during the 2022-23 academic year, including 627 at Elmwood. Just three years earlier, Hopkinton's total enrollment was 3,862 students, with 557 of them at Elmwood, according to state enrollment data.

Jon Graziano, chair of the Elementary School Building Committee, said previously that adding fourth graders to the new Elmwood provides a "relief valve" for the district.

How will the project affect taxes?

The average single-family home in Hopkinton is assessed at $852,400, meaning a typical Hopkinton homeowner would pay an additional $945 — a roughly 8% increase — in property taxes during the peak year of borrowing. The approval also includes a $10.1 million contingency plan to protect homeowners if unexpected costs come out of the project.

Over the past few months, the town's contribution to the project was reduced after the MSBA voted to increase its share.

Homeowners were originally slated to pay between $106 million and $108 million, which would have led to an additional $1,100 to $1,200 per year on property taxes for the typical Hopkinton homeowner.

What happens next?

The project now goes to a special election on Nov. 28. Should the proposal win a simple majority at that time, the project's design development is scheduled to begin in December and end next April.

Construction is tentatively scheduled to occur between June 2025 and December 2027 at a site chosen by the School Building Committee, immediately adjacent to the Marathon Elementary School.

A tentative move-in date is set for January 2028.

Voters in all precincts vote at the Hopkinton Middle School Gym at 88 Hayden Rowe St.

This article originally appeared on MetroWest Daily News: Hopkinton Town Meeting approves new $158M school project. What's next