To modernize the Boston's only vocational school, the city is looking at a $700 million renovation or rebuild of Madison Park Technical Vocational High School.
Boston.com reports that decades of disinvestment have resulted in an aging campus that struggles to support its educational programs.
“The cost estimates are quite high,” said Superintendent Mary Skipper. “Vocational schools, in general, are the most expensive schools to build because they generally need the most space, and we expect Madison Park’s redesign to be the most expensive capital project in Boston’s history."
Skipper said that to meet the full vision for the school, the city is looking for funding from the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA) to offset the high costs.
Historically, said Dion Irish, Boston’s chief of operations, the city has received about 30% of the funding from the MSBA for project costs.
After exploring different options to reduce costs, Irish said the city doesn’t believe it can deliver the project using only city resources without significantly scaling back the plans.
So, for now, the city will submit an application to the MSBA in April and expects to hear back from the program by the end of the year.
According to the project’s feasibility study, Madison Park High School was established in 1977. The site now serves two public schools: the Madison Park Technical Vocational High School in Building 7 and portions of Buildings 1 and 2, and the John D. O’Bryant School of Mathematics and Science in Buildings 2, 3, 5, and 6.
The study says issues of inadequate space in both schools cause tensions as the division between the academic spaces becomes less clear.
For the 2024-2025 school year, Madison Park has slightly more than 1,000 students. Programs range from automotive repair, culinary arts, and facilities management to plumbing and medical assisting.
The school district is considering two alternatives. The first is renovating the school, which would require complicated swing space planning so that classes could continue while construction is underway. The estimated cost for this plan would be $700 million to $720 million.
The second alternative is constructing a new building. Construction estimates for this scenario are estimated at $680 million to $700 million.
