Weymouth School Committee set to vote on modular classrooms over reopening Johnson Elementary

WEYMOUTH -- October 10, 2024, Weymouth School Committee moves toward $4.7 million modular classroom plan over reopening shuttered Johnson Elementary. Interim Superintendent Melanie Curtin and Assistant Superintendent Brian Smith presented a side-by-side feasibility comparison at the October 10 meeting, recommending six new modular classrooms at Hamilton, Nash, and West Augustine elementary schools over a Johnson renovation the administration estimated at $6 to $6.5 million in capital costs plus up to $2.6 million in annual operating expenses once the school reached full K-5 enrollment. The modular option carries a total capital cost of $4.2 to $4.7 million and an operating increase of $360,000. The town's Director of Asset Management, John McLeod, is expected to customize the order as he did with modular units installed in 2020, which administrators said "still look brand new." Smith told the committee the permanent-model units carry an expected lifespan of 25 years. A formal vote between the two options is scheduled for October 24, with a Town Council capital financing measure to follow in November and contracts potentially awarded by mid-December to meet a fall 2025 installation target.