Somerville School Building Project: Phase One Community Feedback Survey

Background
The City of Somerville is in the process of planning for at least one new PK-8 (Pre-Kindergarten to 8th grade) public school building. This new school building would meet the needs of the Winter Hill Community Innovation School and potentially the Benjamin G. Brown School.

This is a major commitment for the city that will take approximately seven years to complete. The school building project will have wide-ranging impacts on city finances and other priorities.

While current and future Winter Hill and Brown families will be most directly impacted, this project will have potential benefits and impacts for all Somerville schools and residents. With this in mind, it is important that we understand what matters most to our community.

About this Survey  
Your feedback at this stage will help inform decisions about the size, scope, and location of the school building project.

During the survey we will ask for your perspective on funding a future school building project and for your opinion on other investment priorities. We’ll also ask what you think is most important when it comes to the location, size, and features of our schools.

At a later stage, we’ll come back with more specific proposals including drawings for your consideration and feedback.

The survey should take about 5 minutes to complete; please respond by February 21, 2025.

Thank you for your participation!

The City of Somerville can translate this document into your language for free. To request a translated copy, please contact the SomerViva Office of Immigrant Affairs at somerviva@somervillema.gov or call 311 (617-666-3311). 

Choosing the location, size, and features of PK-8 public schools

As the City considers possible options for the location, size, and features of new school(s), there will be hard choices to make. To guide those choices, we want to know what’s important to you about Somerville PK-8 public schools in general.

Funding the new school(s) and other investment priorities

Even with financial support from the state, the City will need to raise property taxes to pay for a new school. At the same time, there are other priorities that need funding.

The City has to balance needs when choosing to fund construction and repairs of buildings, parks, schools, and more. The questions below ask for your perspective on how the City should approach funding across a range of priority areas.

About You

Please answer the following questions about yourself and your household. This will help us better understand the diverse perspectives and experiences that shape our community.