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The following was submitted by the office of Sen. Jason Lewis:
State Sen. Jason Lewis and Patricia Jehlen and state Rep. Michael Day and Michelle Ciccolo are pleased to announce the town of Winchester will receive an additional $4,965,089 in state funding to support the construction of the new Lynch Elementary School.
Due to global and unprecedented challenges impacting the construction industry that included supply chain problems, workforce shortages, and rampant cost escalation in raw materials, the cost of school building projects, such as the Lynch Elementary School project, have significantly increased.
The Winchester delegation supported a plan that was included in the Fiscal Year 2024 state budget authorizing the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA) to give supplemental grants to certain school building projects and to increase the annual spending cap for the MSBA. This legislative action enabled the MSBA to provide this additional state funding to Winchester.
“Our students deserve access to a high-quality public education, including excellent facilities for teaching and learning,” said Lewis, who serves as the Senate chair of the Education Committee. “I know that escalating construction costs over the past few years have severely impacted school building projects, and I’m very pleased that we were able to convince our colleagues in the state Legislature that the state should step up and provide additional financial resources to the impacted projects.”
"I am so thankful for the town of Winchester and my colleagues for their collaborative advocacy," said Jehlen. "Investing in our school system and the upcoming generation is crucial. Construction costs are unprecedented so I am glad to be able to help keep this project on track."
“I am very happy that we were able to convince our colleagues to increase state funding for this project,” said Michael Day. “Winchester has repeatedly affirmed that we will do whatever it takes to deliver the best educational opportunities possible to our children, and this significant investment from the state and the MSBA will ensure that this project will deliver those opportunities in full. I truly appreciate the support and advocacy from our residents who are making this project, so many years in the making, a reality.”
“The hub of any thriving community is an excellent school system, including high-quality facilities to support educators and students,” said Ciccolo. “The additional funding will allow us to complete this critical project despite the challenges imposed by rising costs.”
