It looks like Acushnet, Carver, Lakeville, Mattapoisett, and Rochester, the five members of the Old Colony Vocational Education District, will not support the district’s $289 million building project.
In a ballot question election on June 20, Rochester went thumbs down on the construction plan with 831 votes “no” and 579 “yes” votes. Plus, town voters decided against paying Rochester’s share of the project costs with a Prop 2 1/2 debt exclusion. This partial override bid lost with 833 no and 580 yes. A total of 1413 residents went to the polls, or roughly 29% of the town’s total of registered voters.
Anticipating that the other member town would join Rochester in the negative column, Rochester representative on the Old Colony building committee, David Hughes, said, “We gave it our best shot. It’s a little disappointing it didn’t pass. I guess we’ll have to renovate the old building. We’ll still have to find the money.”
The project would have built a larger, more modern building that would replace the serious infrastructure deficiencies of the current facility at 476 North Avenue in Rochester. Under calculations presented to member towns last year, the state School Building Authority’s reimbursement for the new school’s price tag is projected to be $129M. The remaining total cost that the school district members would share was estimated at approximately $159M. Rochester’s share of that price tag would have been $28.4 million. But both the $289 million request to fund the building project and a proposal to pay for Rochester’s $24 million share of that cost with a debt exclusion resulted in a resounding “no” vote in the November 2025 Election, leading to Old Colony’s move to revote the question on June 20.
The towns of Acushnet, Carver, Lakeville, and Mattapoisett also voted on the new Old Colony build the same day, yielding a majority “no” vote across the five towns. Superintendent-Director of Old Colony Aaron L. Polansky offered this public statement following the vote:
“Today our ask for support of a new building was voted down. We respect the decision made by the voters of Acushnet, Carver, Lakeville, Mattapoisett and Rochester and appreciate everyone who participated in today’s vote.
Following last fall’s vote, the School Committee determined that it was important to provide residents with another opportunity to consider the project and the District’s long-term needs. Over the past several months, community members have had the opportunity to review updated information, attend meetings, ask questions and make their voices heard.
Today, the voters have spoken, and we respect that decision.
While the outcome is not what the District had hoped for, the challenges facing the current facility have not changed. Old Colony’s building remains more than 50 years old, and significant investments will still be required to maintain and operate the school in the years ahead.
Our responsibility now is to carefully evaluate the options available to the District and determine the best path forward for our students, staff, taxpayers and member communities.
We remain proud of the educational opportunities that Old Colony provides and grateful to everyone who participated in this process. Regardless of today’s outcome, our commitment to serving students across the District remains unchanged.
Thank you to everyone who contributed to our effort. We are grateful for your support and willingness continue working on behalf of the best interests of our Old Colony Community.”
Rochester Special Town Election
By Michael J. DeCicco