Bridgewater Finance Subcommittee Reviews School District Capital Planning
Regional school officials detail maintenance, technology needs and funding strategies.
BRIDGEWATER, Mass. — The Bridgewater Finance Committee’s Capital Planning Subcommittee met on March 12, 2026 to review the capital planning process for the Bridgewater-Raynham Regional School District.
Subcommittee Chair MJ Spagone called the meeting to order at 7:09 p.m. [00:17]. Subcommittee member Dr. Derek Bennett was present, while member Rigobert Noel was absent [00:23].
The agenda progressed through several standard administrative items before moving into the primary discussion.
Approval of Meeting Minutes
Spagone opened the floor for the approval of the meeting minutes from Feb. 10. There was no debate or discussion on the item [01:07]. Bennett made a motion to approve the minutes, which Spagone seconded [01:16]. The motion was unanimously approved [01:24].
Public Comment
During the public comment portion of the meeting, no members of the public addressed the subcommittee [02:00].
Old Business
The subcommittee noted there was no old business to discuss, advancing immediately to new business [02:07].
New Business: School District Capital Planning
The meeting centered on how capital plans operate within the regional school district. Superintendent Ryan Powers, Bridgewater-Raynham School District Committee Chair Rachel King and Business Officer Motolani Babalola presented an overview of the district’s five-to-10-year capital plan [02:32].
Powers explained that the capital plan is divided into two primary categories: operations and maintenance, and technology [04:17]. He emphasized that life safety systems, such as fire alarms and security systems, take highest priority, followed by utilities and medium-to-low priority items such as parking lot maintenance [05:24].
A significant impending project discussed was the potential replacement of the 20-year-old roof at Bridgewater-Raynham Regional High School. Powers noted the roof membranes are beginning to fail, causing leaks in several areas [27:56]. He indicated the district would likely seek assistance through the Massachusetts School Building Authority’s accelerated repair program, though the program now operates on an alternating-year cycle for roof replacements [29:10].
On the technology front, Powers highlighted the financial and logistical challenges of maintaining the district’s one-to-one Chromebook program and keeping network infrastructure updated to support state testing platforms [36:26].
King outlined the school committee’s review timeline, noting that proposed capital plans first pass through the long-range subcommittee over one to two months, followed by the budget subcommittee, before reaching the full school committee for final approval [42:09].
Babalola detailed the procurement process once projects are approved and funded by the towns. She noted the district frequently uses COMMBUYS, the state’s general procurement system, to secure competitive pricing for goods and services before having to solicit outside bids [49:20].
Additional Items for Discussion
Following the presentation and a brief period for additional questions, the subcommittee confirmed there were no further items for discussion [55:27].
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