The Massachusetts School Building Authority approved $74.2 million for a new Taconic High School in Pittsfield during its monthly meeting in Boston Wednesday.
In April the Pittsfield City Council approved borrowing $121 million to build a three-story, vocational-focused school on Valentine Road. It would replace the nearly 50-year-old Taconic High School. The state’s portion announced Wednesday represents roughly 60 percent of the total project cost. Pittsfield Mayor Dan Bianchi says the school will prepare students for college and immediate career paths.
“It will be the best pathway to the middle class for many of the children who come from our economically-challenged families,” said Bianchi prior to the city council’s vote in April.
The new 246,520 square-foot school is based on a design enrollment of 920 students in grades 9 through 12. One of the next steps is for Pittsfield Public Schools and the MSBA to enter into a Project Funding Agreement, which will detail the project’s scope and budget, along with the conditions under which the city will receive its MSBA grant.
“Upon completion, the new school in Pittsfield will provide a modern learning environment for the city’s students,” said Massachusetts Treasurer Deborah Goldberg, who also chairs the MSBA, in a statement Wednesday. “Our goal is create the best space to deliver the district’s educational commitments and goals.”
Construction is expected to start next spring with the school opening slated for the 2018-2019 school year.
