Framingham Schools, Sisters of Saint Joseph Can't Make Bethany Deal

Originally posted at 4:30 a.m. Updated at 6:48 a.m. to fix typo.

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Framingham Town Meeting voters will not be asked to purchase property on Bethany Road for a new school this month.

Superintendent of Schools Stacy Scott said Tuesday night the district would withdraw its warrant article for the Feb. 23 Special Town Meeting, after they failed to negotiate land and a price from the Sisters of Saint Joseph.

“At this time it is unwarranted for us to go forward,” said Scott.

He said the “Sisters have been very patient with us.”

He said the ”conversation” and the negotiations would continue, and perhaps a warrant article would go before Town Meeting members during the Annual Town Meeting in April or at a later Special Town Meeting in 2016.

Scott said the schools have been having “formal conversations” about purchasing this property for a ”long time,” as much as two years, but that they could not negotiate a deal in time for the Feb. 23 meeting.

The Superintendent said the Sisters asking price “is higher than we are considering or able to pay at this time.”

Patch reported yesterday that several Town Meeting members and Committees were frustrated that they have not seen specifics about the deal. Specifically, they did not know how many acres the Town wished to purchase and what the price would be.

Ironically news of the deal falling through came first from Framingham Selectmen.

Selectmen Chair Charlie Sisitsky announced at the start of their Tuesday night meeting that school leaders could not reach a deal with the Sisters. (Framingham Patch issued a news alert, when that was announced last night.)

There was a meeting last Thursday between the Sisters of St. Joseph, the Superintendent of Schools. the Town Manager, and their staffs and they were unable to “reach an agreement” said Sisitsky Tuesday night.

The school department is still actively meeting with the broker and discussion are ongoing, said Town Manager Bob Halpin at the Selectmen’s meeting, but it is unlikely to be “resolved between now and Feb. 23.”

Scott told the Framingham School Committee the negotiations are “ongoing” and would continue.

But he cautioned “it may not work” out.

He also said that the plan to move forward to replace the Fuller School is ”not dependent on purchasing the Bethany site.”

Last month, the Massachusetts School Building Authority officially voted to begin the process to fund a feasibility study to renovate or replace Fuller Middle School.

Framingham Superintendent of Schools Stacy Scott announced on Dec. 22, that the Authority’s staff would recommend the Board approve Framingham’s application - its third application in as many years.

Framingham Public Schools applied to renovate or replace Fuller Middle School, the former Framingham South High School.

The state process for funding is complicated - more than 8 steps in the eligibility phase, including creating a School Building Committee. If all the steps are completed within the 270-day time frame, the state then could fund the feasibility study.

The state’s decision on January 27 does not guarantee funding for the project for Framingham, but was needed to move the process forward.

Scott has said that purchasing the Bethany property, and building a school on the property, would not eliminate school choice in Framingham.

To learn more about the Bethany property and what land is available, click here.