Easton Voters Pass Early Elementary School Project

EASTON, MA — During Tuesday's Special Town Election, Easton voters approved raising taxes to build a new Early Elementary School, which will serve students in pre-kindergarten through second grade. Out of 4,137 residents who voted, 3,298 supported raising taxes for the new school, while 839 voted against, according to unofficial results released Wednesday morning.

Tuesday's election addressed a second vote that was required before the project could go forward. The first vote took place last week, when residents approved the town's authority to borrow money for the new school.

School officials say that the new school will help address facility issues at Easton's three elementary schools.

The Early Elementary School will be built with the help of the Massachusetts School Building Authority grant program, which could reimburse the school district up to $36 million for the project, school officials say. The school district's portion of the cost would be approximately $59 million, according to current estimates.

For a home assessed at $400,000, it is estimated that the project would raise the homeowner's annual tax rate by $28 in the year 2021 and by $144 the year after that, according to the town's tax impact calculator. The tax rate for that home would then go up by $228 in the year 2023 and by $360 in the following year. Between the years of 2025 and 2050, the tax rate impact would be $428 annually for a $400,000 home, according to the town's estimates.