May 10, 2024 By Carol Britton Meyer
Following Wednesday’s School Building Committee meeting, Supt. of Schools Margaret Adams and Foster School Principal Matt Sheufele shared the news in a May 9 letter to the Hingham community that “while there has been great progress on the new Foster School building project, the new school will not open at the beginning of the 2024-2025 school year due to unforeseen circumstances.”
That said, the SBC “believes there is potential for the school to open in early fall but no later than early January 2025,” the letter states.
Information about the timing of the move-in date will be shared as additional details become available through the SBC.
In anticipation of questions about whether outdoor playground spaces will be available in September, Adams and Sheufele assured families that the SBC and the district are committed to ensuring that students have access to a playground and other spaces to begin the school year.
In addition, there are plans to accommodate all incoming preschool families, with further information to be shared in the near future.
“We know this is not the news you were hoping for,” the letter states. “However, we assure you that the project management team is doing everything possible to expedite the remaining work and to ensure a safe, smooth transition once the building is ready.”
In response to an email inquiry from the Hingham Anchor asking for information about the reasons behind the delay in the opening and any associated additional costs, SBC Vice Chair Ray Estes responded that “we have no comment other than what you have already heard in the statement distributed yesterday [May 9].”