The Concord Board of Education faces a decision: schedule a referendum on where to put the new middle school, leaving the decision up to the voters, or start plans to build a new school at Rundlett now.

On Wednesday at 6 p.m. in the Concord High auditorium, the board will hold a public hearing dedicated to that question. The board can make a vote at the end of that meeting and, while it hasn’t committed to anything, both members of the public and the board have expressed a sense of urgency to take next steps. No option has been taken off the table. 

Notably, while the concept of renovation at Rundlett has returned to the conversation, it is not something the board is weighing in this meeting. If the project gets moved to Rundlett, board members have said, they’ll talk about reconsidering renovation at a later time. 

Last week, the board received a report comparing  how much a similar school at each location would cost and how long it would take. You can review it below or watch the video at this link.

Those who have spoken in favor of the board choosing now to move the project to the South End argue that it is what the community has always truly wanted — both a year ago when the board originally chose Broken Ground and this past November when voters passed the charter amendments. The reasons many preferred it a year ago — its central location in an already built-up and walkable neighborhood and its proximity to the high school, for example — have not faded.

With a fall 2029 projected opening date, it also is potentially the shortest path to a new school building opening. A common plea among parents and teachers for months, but also at last week’s meeting, was for the board to do whatever it takes to deliver a new school ASAP, regardless of where it goes. 

While the original plan at Broken Ground had a fall 2028 end date and is still an option, according to district legal counsel, that path was rejected 7-2 by the board last week. It also runs the risk of sparking a legal battle over the applicability of the charter amendments, which could add time and money to the plan. 

There are also cons to a school at Rundlett. Because it requires phasing its rollout, knocking down the current school, building an underground stormwater management system, and waiting years longer for use of its athletic fields, it is more expensive — around $8 million more, according to the latest estimate. That’s half the $16 million more the district said it would be ahead of the election, but it’s still significantly more. 

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Those who’ve spoken in favor of a referendum deciding the location question have asserted that the voters have asked for, and deserve, the final say over a key aspect of a more than $150 million project. It may be the only way, they have said, to get everyone on the same page. 

The charter amendments, passed overwhelmingly by the voters, did not explicitly say “please build at Rundlett.” Rather, they gave voters the power to authorize or reject a relocation. While the amendments were written by folks who want the project to happen on South Street, not everyone who voted  to pass them was in tune with that background context. A Monitor poll last fall found residents somewhat split on where the school should go. 

For those who still prefer the Broken Ground location, a vote is also the only way to keep those plans alive. The lower price tag, addition of more public facilities to East Concord and ability to seamlessly transfer from one school to another without dealing with or paying for learning disruptions could gain wider appeal. 

This too, though, has drawbacks. A special election could happen no earlier than June, according to the city clerk, and would carry a price tag in the neighborhood of $50,000. It could go on ballots in November’s regular city election, but little appetite to wait that long has been expressed. For many of the parents and teachers who have waited years for progress towards a new school, the months of time and political energy that would go into holding a vote may not feel worth it. 

Catherine McLaughlin can be reached at cmclaughlin@cmonitor.com. You can subscribe to her Concord newsletter The City Beat at concordmonitor.com.