Sandwich School Committee Approves $135,000 Facilities Assessment Funded by Town Reserves

SANDWICH -- August 27, 2025, Sandwich School Committee unanimously backs $135,000 facilities study as the school year opens. Meeting August 27, the seven-member board voted 7-0 to accept town reserve funds not to exceed $135,000 to engage Habib Associates for a facilities condition and educational adequacy assessment of the district's three buildings, a 50-year-old high school and two elementary schools roughly 35 years old, with a draft report targeted for the end of December, ahead of the next budget season. The funds come from town reserves, not the school operating budget, and require a second Finance Committee vote to be released. The committee also voted 7-0 to adopt the "Leading and Learning: Sandwich Public Schools Strategic Plan 2025-2030," confirmed Jennifer Healy as the new Director of Pupil Services on a 7-0 vote, and heard that 78 percent of spring 2025 AP exam scores at Sandwich High School reached a 3 or above, down slightly from 81 percent in 2024, with Superintendent Joe Quinn anticipating a repeat College Board Silver Honor Roll designation in October. Select Board liaison Charlie Holden endorsed the facilities study during public comment, telling the committee, "We need to think about what our schools are going to look like five to ten years from now."