No. The Town only committed funding for the Feasibility Study phase which has been completed.
The project must receive approval at the Special Town Meeting scheduled for January 11, 2027 before the registered voters in town will have the opportunity to vote by ballot (a debt-exclusion referendum) on February 9, 2027. Voters will determine if this NEW Parker Middle School project moves forward.
A final project cost, estimated tax impact, and debt service schedule have been developed and was shared with the community on October 7, 2026. See slide (#36) in the meeting presentation that Town Manager, Alex Magee presented.
At the Community Forum held on October 7, 2026, Town Manager, Alex Magee, presented the project costs. You can see his slide (#36) in the meeting presentation.
*Town Meeting Warrant Article Value
**All values are subject to change based on actual project expenditures, rebates received, and final MSBA audit.
Mr. Magee explained that the Town would finance this $138M with a 30-year bond at an anticipated interest rate of 5.25%. If interest rates drop at any point in that 30-year period, the Town would certainly look to refinance the bond at a lower rate.
The average assessed home value in town is currently $694,695. This means the average tax increase per home, over the length of the bond, would be $595.00/year or $49.58/month. These estimated taxpayers costs include principle and interest.
A YES! vote on this debt exclusion allows the town to raise property taxes outside of Proposition 2½ limits for the life of a 30-year bond used to finance the NEW Parker Middle School. Once the 30-year borrowing is paid off, the tax increase automatically expires.
At the Community Forum held on October 7, 2026, it was explained that earlier in this process all different solutions were thoroughly examined. Simply bringing the existing Parker Middle School building up to code would cost more than $100 million and it would not address the overcrowding issue in the four elementary schools. So it is our opinion that for an additional $38 million the town would be better served to build a NEW Parker Middle School for all grade 4-6 students because it not only alleviates all the issues at the current Parker school building but it also addresses the concerns with overcrowding at the four elementary schools. Ultimately, the town gets a $256 million NEW school for $138 million because the MSBA grant will cover 58% of eligible costs.
The three different scenarios — Base Repair, Addition/Renovation, and New Construction — were outlined and presented at the fourth Community Forum held on March 19, 2026. See slide #14 in this presentation.
All the registered voters of Chelmsford, MA will have the opportunity to cast their ballot vote on Tuesday, February 9, 2027.
To build the NEW Parker Middle School, our community will vote on a 'debt exclusion.' This is a voter-approved measure that allows the town to fund a specific major project by raising property taxes above the standard Proposition 2½ limit for the period of the bond used to finance the expense. Crucially, this is not a permanent tax increase—these dedicated funds can only be used to pay off the school building project and will automatically expire once the project is paid for.
If approved by voters, the project would be funded through a debt exclusion, which would allow the Town to increase the property-tax levy to pay the project's debt service. The estimated tax impact will be provided once the project budget and financing assumptions are finalized.
Research has found associations between investment in public schools and local property values. The effect can vary depending on the community, type of investment, and other economic factors. Read: The National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER).
No property tax increase related to construction would occur until the project is approved by voters at both a Special Town Meeting on January 11, 2027 and a town-wide ballot referendum on February 9, 2027.
If the vote in February 2027 fails, the MSBA pulls its financial commitment because the state cannot indefinitely hold capital funds for a project lacking local support. The NEW Parker Middle School project would stop moving forward. The Parker Middle School Building Committee would dissolve, and architectural or engineering contracts would be suspended.
If the town wants to try again later, it would generally have to restart the entire multi-year application process from scratch. Re-entering the MSBA waitlist can take years — or even a decade or more — depending on statewide capital needs and prioritization. There is no guarantee the town would be accepted back into the MSBA program in the future.
Delaying the project also means construction and material costs will likely increase over time.
The underlying problems with the school building (such as overcrowding, outdated infrastructure, or code compliance issues) do not go away. The town remains responsible for paying for ongoing, piecemeal repairs and maintenance out of its operating budget, without the benefit of state reimbursement.
If Chelmsford residents vote to approve this NEW Parker Middle School, construction is estimated to commence in the summer of 2028. If all goes according to plan, building construction is anticipated to take roughly 36 months, and the building is expected to be occupied mid-way through the 2030-2031 school year with the grade 5-6 students at that time. Then at the start of the 2031-2032 school year all grade 4-6 students would occupy the new Parker Middle School.
Once the 2030-2031 grade 5-6 students move into the new school, demolition of the existing school will commence (potentially in the spring of 2031), along with site restoration and fieldwork, which are anticipated to be completed the following year.
Yes. This is the chosen site because it allows the new school to be built where middle school programs already exist, while keeping the existing Parker Middle School open during construction. It also avoids the larger impacts associated with other sites studied, including the loss of athletic fields, traffic concerns, and the placement of too many students on a single campus.
After reviewing educational value, cost, schedule, construction impacts, site use, sustainability, and long-term benefit, the School Building Committee determined that a new Grades 4–6 school at the Parker site best meets Chelmsford’s district-wide educational, enrollment, and facility needs.
Keeping students, staff, and visitors safe while the existing Parker Middle School remains open is a primary focus. The preferred new construction option allows the new school to be built on the Parker site while the existing school continues to operate. Once the new school is complete and occupied, the existing building will be demolished, followed by final site restoration and field work.
Before construction begins, a detailed Construction Management Plan will be developed. This plan will address construction fencing, site access, construction vehicle routes, deliveries, staging areas, emergency access, parking, pedestrian routes, and separation between the active school and construction areas. Construction zones will be physically separated from school operations with secure barriers and controlled access points. Construction traffic and deliveries will be coordinated to minimize conflicts with student arrival, dismissal, bus circulation, parent drop-off/pick-up, and neighborhood traffic.
The goal is to maintain a safe and orderly school environment while reducing disruption to students, staff, families, and nearby residents throughout construction.
The district and project team will continue to communicate with the school community as construction planning becomes more detailed.
Check out: https://parkermsproject.com/faqs/ . If you still have questions not answered there, please email us: voteyesforchelmsfordschools@gmail.com and we will work to find an answer and get back to you!
The School Committee presented the NESDEC enrollment projection report, which illustrates significant increases, at their regular meeting in December 2025.
According to the MA Department of Education here are the enrollment numbers at Parker Middle School each of the last 10 years (with the district as a whole in parentheses).
2016-17: 725 (4,974)
2017-18: 715 (4,994)
2018-19: 698 (4,961)
2019-20: 733 (5,021)
2020-21: 728 (4,826)
2021-22: 729 (4,943)
2022-23: 723 (5,055)
2023-24: 797 (5,130)
2024-25: 778 (5,068)
2025-26: 817 (5,128)
2026-27: not yet reported