Put simply, our district cannot continue to defer maintenance. Per Superintendent Kidwell, as of Feb. 26, 2024, we have spent $55,000 on Hurley Middle School's aging HVAC system only to be managing decay.

We need to be more proactive as a town, rather than reactive, when facing these issues. We need a long-term infrastructure plan to address Hurley and also the predicted population surge from incoming developments.

We should consider the Statement of Interest the current School Committee voted against and ask the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA) how they might subsidize the cost of repairs or new construction to reduce the burden on Seekonk taxpayers.