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November 28, 2007 ... The Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA) today voted to move 83 schools into the next phase in the process for potential funding. Sen. Richard T. Moore, D-Uxbridge, is pleased that among those 83 schools approved for feasibility studies or repair assessments were the Douglas Intermediate School, Oxford Middle School, Southbridge High School, Sutton Middle School, and Uxbridge High School. 

“This is terrific news for our region,” said Moore. “To have five of the 83 projects approved to move to the next step is significant and to be among those out of the 423 Statements of Interest (SOI) is a real credit to the local educational leaders and school building committees who have worked so hard on behalf of their communities and, especially, the students. I look forward to working with those districts approved to secure funding and supply those students with state of the art learning facilities.” 

Pursuant to the MSBA’s statute, they were to focus on the SOI each district identified as its priority in order to assure that the neediest projects statewide would be given first priority for funding. The MSBA received a total of 423 SOIs from 162 school districts statewide. The projects moving forward in the new grant process represent the neediest of the schools that met the MSBA’s criteria. 

“We are prioritizing improvements of spaces with direct educational impact,” stated Katherine Craven, MSBA Executive Director. “Only the most cost effective and educationally beneficial designs will be approved to ensure that state and local tax dollars go farther.”

The 83 schools will eventually become the first part of the MSBA’s $2.5 billion five year capital pipeline. To date, the MSBA has paid approximately $5 billion in reimbursements to cities and towns for school construction projects. 

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