FAQ

At its August 26 meeting, the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA) Board of Directors voted to approve the Scope & Budget Agreement for the Monument Mountain Regional High School (MMRHS) Building Project. This marks a major step forward toward a new $152 million high school, with the MSBA committing about $60 million in funding, which could increase to just over $61 million depending on final project approvals. The project is also expected to receive $1.6 million in incentives from Mass Save.

The District’s local share remains set at $89 million within the approved $152 million project budget. If contingency funds are used but deemed ineligible for reimbursement, they would be covered within the District’s share; only costs above the total $152 million would require additional local approval.

Please see more details on our cost page. 

The project cost was established through a multi-step process during the Feasibility Study and Schematic Design phases, with oversight from the School Building Committee and the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA). At each stage, estimates became more refined as the design developed and reimbursement amounts were confirmed.

As part of the Feasibility Study, the Committee reviewed multiple options — including repair-only, renovation/addition, and new construction. Repair and renovation options were more expensive for the local community, more disruptive, and offered limited educational benefit. After careful analysis, the Committee selected new construction as the most cost-effective and least disruptive long-term solution.

• Preliminary Estimate (PDP, July 2024): The project was initially estimated at about $180M using a Construction Manager delivery method. This early figure was conservative and intended to capture the broadest possible scope.
  Preferred Solution Estimate (December 2024): With a shift to the MSBA-required Design-Bid-Build method and a more defined scope, the cost estimate dropped to about $154.5M for a 140,000 SF building.
• Schematic Design Estimate (June 2025): With the design further refined to 142,800 SF, the final project budget was set at $152.6M. This includes construction, professional services, demolition of the existing school, contingencies, and required studies.
• MSBA Reimbursement Update (August  2025): The MSBA reviewed the project and reimbursement was confirmed at $61M, plus $1.6M in MassSave energy incentives, bringing the local share to about $89.9M.

This $152.6M budget is a set, all-inclusive figure that cannot be exceeded under state law.

School construction is expensive due to modern building codes, safety, and accessibility requirements. Costs also reflect specialized spaces like vocational programs. The $152M budget is all-inclusive (design, demolition, contingencies), and the MSBA will contribute nearly $60M, reducing the local share to $89M.

The full Schematic Design estimate can be found on the documents section of our project website.

Throughout the project, the School Building Committee (SBC) has been mindful of the financial impact of the project to today’s taxpayers while planning a school that meets the educational program and will serve the district for the next 50-100 years.

The SBC recently secured an additional $6M of state funding through the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA). Partnering with the MSBA will lower the local tax impact by approximately $61M. The SBC has also partnered with MassSave for a $1.5M incentive, and is pursuing the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center EmPower Grant, which would result in up to $5M of additional funding—resulting in a total of $67.5M in grant awards for the project.

In December 2024, after a thoughtful review of the renovation/addition and new construction options, the School Building Committee elected to move forward with Alternative 3E, a new 3-story, building to the west of the existing building.  The compact design provides an efficient building footprint and allows for shorter construction duration, saving the district on temporary phasing and construction escalation. The reuse of the existing parking lot in the site design was another consideration that reduced the overall cost.

The SBC has decided to bid the project as Chapter 149, Design-Bid-Build (DBB), assuring that the General Contractor with the lowest bid price will be awarded the project in a competitive bid environment.

The MSBA grant amount will be finalized at the end of August, and the local tax impact calculator will be available in September. If the project is approved by local voters on November 4, 2025, the Design Development phase will proceed, and cost-savings measures will be evaluated at each design milestone leading up to construction ensuring the project is on budget and there are opportunities to lower the project cost.

The total project budget is based on the Schematic Design cost estimate for the preferred design option, New Construction – Alternative 3E.

• Schematic Design Submission (June 26, 2025):
  • Section 16: Total Project Budget
  • Section 17: Cost Estimate

Prior to the Schematic Design of New Construction Alternative 3E, the Preferred Schematic Report (PSR), dated December 19, 2025 included cost estimates for all alternates:

• Code Upgrade/Base Repair – Alternative 1 
• Renovation/Addition – Alternative 2C 
• New Construction – Alternative 3E (Preferred Solution)
• New Construction – Alternative 3H 

Detailed cost estimates for these alternatives can be found in the PSR 03 Final Evaluation of Alternatives, starting on page 158. 

After a thorough review of all options, the School Building Committee elected to move forward with Alternative 3E, a new 3-story, 140,500 SF school to the west of the existing building, designed to serve 485 students.

The cost to heat and cool the new, all-electric building is projected to be $209,000 annually.

The existing school’s gas and electricity cost annually is approximately $245,000.

It will cost approximately the same to heat and cool a larger building that provides heating, cooling and ventilation for the staff and students.

If the project is approved on November 4th, the District will move forward with borrowing funds for the project. Borrowing may occur in stages, depending on interest rates, but once approved, the project budget cannot increase without additional local approvals.

Construction will tentatively begin in 2027, with the new building expected to open in fall 2029. The new high school will be located on the current site, outside of the existing school’s footprint, which allows the current building to remain fully operational during construction.

If the project is not approved, the district will lose its funding opportunity with the MSBA. 

The existing school still requires extensive repairs, and even partial fixes such as a new roof or heating system would trigger full code upgrades. These costs would fall entirely on local taxpayers with no MSBA reimbursement and would be the most disruptive option for students and staff over many years, while still resulting in a school that does not meet the educational needs of our programs and students.

March 2022:

Berkshire Hills Regional School District submits a Statement of Interest (SOI) to the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA), the semi-public entity that helps to fund public school projects in the state. The SOI was accepted into the MSBA’s highly competitive pipeline, a critical first step in pursuing a new high school building for Monument Mountain.

Fall 2022:

BHRSD creates a Building Committee of district leaders, teachers and community stakeholders.

June 2023:

BHRSD’s School Committee approves funds for a feasibility study which must follow the MSBA’s prescribed process for arriving at the most educationally appropriate and cost-effective solution for either a renovated building or a new high school.

Early 2024:

The Building Committee hires Skanska USA Building, Inc. as the project manager and MSBA’s Designer Selection Panel chooses DiNisco Design as project designers.

Spring 2024:

As design work gets underway the community offers input by serving on a temporary educational visioning committee and/or by attending one of several community forums https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N7g7mvV07qA&t=2s

July 2024:

Building Committee submits a Preliminary Design Program (PDP) to the MSBA.

The PDP includes the following deliverables:

• Educational Program, written by BHRSD leadership with guidance from the design team
• Space Summary, which compares the school’s current spaces to the MSBA’s standards
• Existing Conditions Report
• Design parameters
• Development and evaluation of design alternatives

November 2024:

The Building Committee submits the Preferred Schematic Report (PSR) and votes to pursue a Design-Bid-Build construction delivery method.

The PSR includes the following deliverables:

• Existing conditions report
• Final evaluation of alternatives
• Updated cost summary and estimates
• Proposed project design and construction schedule
• Proposed operating budget and 10-year capital plan

December 2024:

The Building Committee decides to move forward with Design 3E, a new, 3-story, 140,500 square foot building, to be built to the west of the existing building for an enrollment of 485 students, per MSBA projections. Design 3E is the least disruptive option for current students, establishes an efficient building footprint, meets community needs and greatly enhances the capabilities of the educational program.

End of June 2025:

Building Committee votes to submit a total project budget of $152 million and to approve the schematic design submission to the MSBA. The next step is for the board of the MSBA to approve the final cost of the new building project at their August 27^th meeting, and for voters in Great Barrington, Stockbridge and West Stockbridge to vote on approving the funds to build a new Monument Mountain High School on November 4^th.

For more information about the project timeline beyond the November 4^th vote, see our Timeline & Schedule page.

On November 4, residents of the three district towns will vote on the project. If it’s successful the project will then enter the design development phase, with construction to tentatively begin in 2027, and the new building expected to open in the fall of 2029. The new high school will be located outside of the existing school’s footprint, allowing for the high school to remain fully operational during construction. Incoming fourth graders at Du Bois Middle School, will be the first class to attend the new campus for all four years of high school.

The Committee studied repair-only, addition/renovation, and new construction. A repair-only option would have cost at least $89M, would have been 100% taxpayer-funded, caused the most disruption, and delivered no educational benefit. New construction was chosen as the most cost-effective, least disruptive for students, and best long-term solution for the community..

The MSBA enrollment study set the enrollment at 485 students, based on past trends, birth rates, student movement and anticipated housing developments in the district towns.

The MSBA has a strong track record of “getting it right” — it’s in their interest to size schools accurately so communities don’t face overcrowding or overbuild.

The 2022 full enrollment study documents can be found here: 

• MSBA Design Enrollment Letter – dated March 15, 2023
• NESDEC BHRSD Enrollment Study – dated March 15, 2022

The new building will be built entirely outside of the footprint of the existing building, so Monument Mountain will be 100% operational during all phases of construction. When the new building is complete in 2029, students will move into the new building and demolition of the old school will begin. The cost of the demolition has been factored into the total project budget as presented by the Building Committee, and there will be no additional costs associated with demolition. The current building site will be transformed into additional parking and an athletic practice field.

The School Building Committee has hosted 3 Community Visioning Sessions 6 Community Information Sessions and to date.

The next official information session will be held on September 16^th from 5pm to 7pm at the high school. Stay tuned to this website for details on several other informal sessions held in the three district towns over the fall as well.

In addition to the September 16 Community Forum, the Building Committee and project team will host a series of smaller community-based information sessions in October. These meetings provide another chance to review the final design, cost, and tax impact information ahead of the November 4 district-wide vote, and to ask questions in a conversational setting.

📍 West Stockbridge Public Library
🗓 Monday, October 6 · 6:30–7:30 PM

📍 Mason Public Library, 231 Main St, Great Barrington
🗓 Tuesday, October 7 · 4:30–5:30 PM

📍 Stockbridge Public Library, 46 Main Street, Stockbridge
🗓 Tuesday, October 7 · 6:30–7:30 PM

📍 Ramsdell Public Library, 1087 Main St, Housatonic
🗓 Wednesday, October 15 · 4:30–5:30 PM

📍 Claire Teague Senior Center, 917 Main St, Great Barrington
🗓️ Thursday, October 16 · 12:30–1:30 PM (refreshments provided)

All residents are welcome to attend the session most convenient to them. Each meeting will include a project update, a review of the final design and financial details, and time for community Q&A.

Recordings and meeting materials from previous community presentations can be found here. Watch our most recent community forum on YouTube curtesy of CTSB:

Monument Mountain was built in 1968 and, while the building has been well-maintained, it is now obsolete, and no longer meets educational, technological, security or sustainability standards. Its air quality, fire protection and accessibility features do not meet today’s standards. The science labs are undersized, the library and ten classrooms have no windows. The garage, housing the school’s very popular Automotive vocational program, is, according to Donna DiNisco, the project architect, “one half the size it needs to be.” There’s no room for students to sit down and receive instruction, and the space and its infrastructure, like much else in Monument as it is, have been grandfathered in so as to continue to operate despite its inadequacies.

Several other Berkshire County high schools built in the same era, such as Taconic, Wahconah, and Mount Greylock, have been completely rebuilt or significantly renovated over the last decade, and Berkshire Hills Regional School District replaced its elementary and middle schools twenty years ago.

Compared to other schools in the state and within our own district, Monument is an outdated, inefficient and inadequate facility.

Fifteen years ago, the district first started considering options for renovating or replacing MMRHS, and submitted proposals to the Massachusetts School Building Administration (MSBA) for support. In 2014, two subsequent proposals were rejected by Great Barrington voters. In the years since, the high school has continued to age and building costs have continued to rise.

BHRSD has been very fortunate to be re-accepted into MSBA’s highly competitive program, which means we are eligible for reimbursement of tens of millions in project costs. In 2025 voters will have a third opportunity to support a project partially funded by the MSBA.

This idea has been considered, studied at length, and rejected. 

Starting in 2020, an 8-Town Board of community volunteers, including representatives of all eight towns of BHRSD and Southern Berkshire Regional School Districts. took up a three-year study of the feasibility of merging the two districts’ high schools. They held 180 public meetings. In October 2023,each of the eight towns voted on the board’s proposal to merge Mount Everett and Monument Mountain High Schools. All three of Berkshire Hills’ towns voted in favor of the plan, as did Alford, but four of the five SBRSD towns rejected it.

The idea of merging high schools was settled by that outcome. 

BHRSD has too many students to outsource to neighboring high schools. No one of the small high schools in Lee, Lenox or SBRSD could accommodate nearly three hundred resident 9-12 students, so BHRSD’s high school students would most likely be divided between the three schools. This would be politically, logistically and educationally challenging, if not practically impossible.

In addition, our towns have a deep history of pride in, and connection to, Monument Mountain High School. It is a central source of community identity in South Berkshire County.

At its May 1st meeting, the School Committee unanimously voted to accept school choice students again for the 2025-2026 school year.  This is because Berkshire Hill has been accepting school choice students for close to three decades, a practice that has brought tremendous educational benefits to our students and has provided tax relief to taxpayers in our three towns.

Through the school choice law any Massachusetts town can apply to transfer to a school outside of their home district. If they’re accepted, the sending town pays $5,000 plus any additional special education costs. That amount was set out in 1991 in a law enacted through by Massachusetts General Laws ch. 76, Section 12B(4)(f), which states, “Said tuition amount shall be equal to seventy-five percent of the actual per pupil spending amount in the receiving district for such education as is required by such non-resident student, but not more than five thousand dollars.”

The $5,000 that follows choice students might seem unfairly low compared to the quality of education they receive and the amount Berkshire Hills assesses its towns. But adding more student to a classroom doesn’t increase costs proportionally. Most educational costs are fixed, meaning that the building is already there, the teacher is already being paid, the infrastructural systems are already running, and the staff are already employed.

For most school districts with available capacity, the incremental cost of taking on a few more students is substantially less than the average per-pupil cost. If a given classroom has 16 students and adds a 17th, the district incurs minimal additional expenses. This means that the $5,000 that follows a choice student is a net financial benefit to the receiving district, which translates directly into tax savings for member towns.

Last year we realized about $1,250,000 in school choice revenue and about $725,000 in tuition revenue which was applied to offset this year’s assessment. In 2024 school choice and tuition revenue reduced the three towns’ assessments by almost $2,000,000 (Great Barrington $1,493,976, Stockbridge $265,060, and West Stockbridge $240,964).

For more context on school choice, here are the three other mechanisms through which Massachusetts students can move from school to school within the state.

Tuition Agreements. Students living in local towns that do not offer upper middle school grades or a high school can apply to BHRSD through tuition agreements. Their town pays $11,000-$13,000, depending on the agreement, with most lasting three to five years. Berkshire Hills has agreements with Richmond and Farmington River, which includes Otis and Sandisfield. Richmond’s provides for 4% annual increases and is up for an increase in 2026. Our agreement with Farmington River is up for an increase in 2028. (It initially increased at around 5% per year but now goes up 3% per year.) The last few times these agreements came up for renewal, BHRSD successfully negotiated increases and expects to do so again in the future.

CVTE (Career, Vocational and Technical Education): Students interested in pursuing CVTE tracks may apply to transfer to a school with state-approved CVTE programs. BHRSD sends out and receives in students for vocational opportunities. The cost is roughly $18,000 per student, plus transportation. Sending towns cover this cost, so they are not taken out of the BHRSD budget.

Charter and Virtual Schools: Students who live in the BHRSD towns can also apply to attend virtual or charter schools. The cost of those programs is $13,000-$25,000, and the cost must be covered by the sending district.

The Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA) is a quasi-independent state authority that supports communities across the Commonwealth in creating educationally appropriate, cost effective, sustainable, and energy efficient schools. It provides taxpayers significant reimbursements for school construction projects. The MSBA derives its revenue from the state sales tax. 

BHRSD is now following MSBA’s prescribed schedule, process and design requirements in order to benefit from up to 48% reimbursement for eligible project costs, translating to tens of millions in state aid. 

BHRSD was accepted into the MSBA’s program more than ten years ago, but the town of Great Barrington voted against the proposed project in 2013 and 2014. In 2022 MMRHS was once again accepted, based on its urgent need. 

Every year, the MSBA accepts a small handful of school districts into the program that subsidizes the cost of renovating or building a new school. 

Based on the last six years of data, MSBA received about 60-65 Statements Of Interest and accepted 10-12, translating to a 15-20% acceptance rate. In 2022 the MSBA selected MMRHS as one of only 10 schools out of 54, based on its urgent need. 

MSBA’s core program has become more competitive in recent years as 1960s-era school facilities age out, construction costs sharply rise, and the MSBA’s state sales tax revenue has decreased. In 2022 sales tax revenue was 1.65% lower than the previous year, representing a loss of roughly $400M of MSBA grant funding.

This decrease in MSBA revenue is significantly impacting the number of invited districts. It is creating a ripple effect for future applications, making the program more and more selective each year.

The MSBA’s grants are distributed based on need and urgency (e.g., building condition, program deficiencies, enrollment, evidence of overcrowding, and general environment). Moving forward in the MSBA’s process requires collaboration between the district and the MSBA on the project from start to finish.

MMRHS was accepted into the core program and invited to conduct a feasibility study for the following main reasons:

• Age of building impacting the quality of learning and instruction
• Boilers are at the end of their life-span and inadequately serving the school 
• Exterior walls are original to the building and in need of serious repair 
• Windows are single-pane, original to the building, and not energy-efficient
• HVAC system does not adequately or efficiently heat or cool the building 
• Lighting system is primarily fluorescent and not up to modern standards
• Horticulture program is housed in a farm-type wooden structure that is not ADA compliant and in need of significant repair and weatherproofing 
• Library and many classrooms lack natural light and fresh air ventilation
• Inadequately-sized learning spaces, particularly in labs and CVTE spaces 
• Safety concerns related to the number of entrances

The Monument Mountain Regional High School (MMRHS) Project, encompasses all aspects of the planning and construction of the High School, including the selection of the Owner’s Project Manager (OPM), designer, and contractor, as well as oversight of the Project. The district has been selected by the Massachusetts School Building Authority’s (MSBA) to participate in their program to design and construct a new or renovated High School. Acceptance to the MSBA program does not guarantee state funding. The MSBA approval process must be successfully completed for the MSBA to provide significant financial assistance to the Project.

In June 2023, the district approved funds for the MMRHS Feasibility Study. The Feasibility Study will arrive at an educationally appropriate and cost effective solution for either a renovated or new Monument Mountain High School.  The district must approve funding with a district vote in the Fall of 2025.

The MSBA process is long and difficult, but very much worth the work and the time. At the end of the MSBA marathon the authority unlocks tens of millions of dollars to help offset the cost of the building project.

An early—and essential—step in the MSBA process is getting input from our communities about what a new monument mountain regional high school should deliver to our students and our towns. This step starts with a visioning process.

In spring 2024, we hosted three visioning sessions with students, families, staff, school and town administrators, and volunteers from our communities to brainstorm what’s important to us: our educational priorities.

These sessions yielded dozens of points of input that can be organized in three key priorities:

• educational priorities that deliver a next-generation education to our students with project based learning, rigorous career technical and academic offerings,

• team-based programs for grades and across disciplines, 

• and integrated special education. 

All of which challenge every facet of the whole student to meet our educational goals. Program priorities that not only deliver this education, but provide a space that is safe and welcoming, flexible enough to accommodate future needs, and accessible for all of our communities to use outside of school hours.

Read the full Educational Program here.

Monument Mountain Regional High School will continue to offer three Chapter 74 Vocational Technical Education Programs in Automotive, Horticulture, and Early Childhood Development, three Innovation Pathways in Healthcare, Advance Manufacturing & Engineering, and Business Finance, and three general CVTE programs in Computer Science, MMTV, and Wood Technology.

The existing high school building is made up of five distinct wings, which has made for unfortunate physical barriers to curricular collaboration and has also fostered the creation of siloed cultures between CVTE-focused students and students on a college preparatory track.

The new high school building design dismantles these obstacles. Academic and CVTE classrooms will be placed adjacent to one another to allow for greater educational and cultural integration.

The new high school building will also allow for the addition of a fourth Chapter 74 program, Electricity. Taconic High School and McCann Technical School both offer a program to train electricians, and they are at capacity, indicating that this is an in-demand career path in Berkshire County that will be likely to attract students from district towns and beyond to the new school.

Employment in the electrical field is predicted to grow by more than ten percent in the next decade, according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Please see our Design Overview page for all renderings, site plans, and floor plans.

A Virtual Tour of the building and Schematic Design overview video is provided below.

DiNisco Design, in collaboration with William Rawn Associates.

Learn more about our designers.

The new high school is designed with modern safety and security features that the current building lacks. Instead of more than 100 entry points, the new building will have a secure, central entrance vestibule with clear sightlines for office staff, supported by cameras, buzzers, and controlled access.

The design also adds a fire suppression and sprinkler system, two well-planned entrances (public and service) to reduce congestion, and a protected perimeter for emergency vehicles. These features reflect best practices for public school safety and have been reviewed and supported by local police and fire officials.

The new school will be an all-electric building featuring many sustainable features including increased open space, reduced footprint, reduced emissions and embodied carbon,  water reduction, optimized energy performance (ground source heat pumps), enhanced indoor air quality, daylighting and views, improved acoustic performance, and thermal comfort. In addition, the project will have a construction and demolition waste management plan to reduce construction and demolition waste disposed of in landfills and incineration facilities by recovering, reusing, and recycling materials. The site will include features such as native plantings and natural landscape elements to embrace the natural beauty of the surrounding area as well as educational opportunities. The new school will be designed to achieve green school status with the MSBA, receiving 4% more in reimbursement from the state. The project’s sustainability subcommittee is committed to review and recommend sustainable practices to the school building committee throughout the design process.

The new building will be equipped to accommodate solar panels, a significant investment in renewable energy that will reduce operating costs over time. The payback period for owning solar is projected to be approximately 23 years, after which the school would benefit from free electricity generated on-site. This commitment to sustainability not only lessens the environmental impact but also provides an educational opportunity for students to learn about renewable energy