Dartmouth Public Schools may look a little different in the coming years as town officials look to make repairs or replacements to all but Cushman School in the next 15 years.

James Kiely, the assistant superintendent of finance and operations for Dartmouth Public schools, went over proposals for roof and window replacement at the high school, replacing the middle school, replacement or renovations to DeMello, Potter and Quinn schools.

The town is leading a collaborative initiative to improve the schools through long-range capital planning with a finance committee and a budget advisory group. Long range capital planning allows the town to plan ahead, save costs and have improved services for large necessary projects, according to Town Administrator Cody Haddad.

“It allows us to plan, be fiscally responsible for the way that we pursue these projects in town,” said Haddad. 

Due to the nature of these projects being long-term planning, there is no estimate as to how much these repairs will cost Dartmouth residents in taxes, according to Kiely. 

All four of the proposed projects require creating a statement of interest for the school committee and select board to consider submitting to the Massachusetts School Building Authority. If selected, an owner’s project manager and designer will be identified and funding for a feasibility study will be requested at a town meeting. If approved, the study will be conducted and based on those findings funds would be voted on in stages. 

Officials are asking for $250,000 at the Tuesday, Oct. 21 town meeting for the roof and window replacement project. A request to the School Building Authority has been submitted and a decision is expected at the annual meeting on Wednesday, Oct. 29. 

If the authority agrees to give financial aid, they would cover approximately 50% of the costs, Kiely said. 

The School Building Authority typically votes in favor of about 40 projects. There are 90 proposed projects this year, leaving projects less than a 50% chance of being approved. 

“However, I think not having done major projects with [the School Board Authority], I’ve done several roofs in my time here with them, I think it puts us in a good position,” said Kiely. 

Officials are proposing to replace the middle school, which was built in 1956, as the building systems have surpassed their useful life, according to Kiely. This was recommended to be prioritized by the 2017 Facilities Master Plan after the building was ranked in the bottom 16% by the School Building Authority in 2016. 

Kiely said the town is considering different options for replacing the middle school, such as switching what buildings would be the middle and high schools. 

Officials are planning to propose to replace or repair the Potter and DeMello schools, which were both built in 1955, to the School Building Authority in 2030. If the authority accepts the proposal, officials will decide whether to replace or repair the schools based on the results of their feasibility study, Kiely said.

“I am not sure the MSBA would consider both buildings [Potter and DeMello] at the same time, I have a feeling they won’t, so it may be likely that we have to do one before the other,” said Kiely.

Officials are planning to propose replacing or repairing the Quinn School, which was built in 1967, to the School Building Authority in 2040. A feasibility study will also be conducted to determine whether to repair or replace the building. 

For all three elementary schools, enrollment will play a role in deciding whether the town will make repairs or replacements. Besides that, Kiely estimates that the cost for repairs or replacement will be similar. 

“You’re seeing we have some large projects coming up in the community and the goal of us is to make sure the community is aware of this,” said Haddad.