Bridgewater Finance Subcommittee Learns School District Capital Planning Process

BRIDGEWATER — March 12, 2026 — Bridgewater Finance Subcommittee hears school district capital process, flags high school roof as urgent. The Finance Committee's Capital Planning Subcommittee met March 12 with Bridgewater-Raynham Regional School District Superintendent Ryan Powers, School Committee Chairwoman Rachel King, and Business Officer Motelani Babalola to examine how the district builds and executes its capital plan. Subcommittee Chair MJ Bone and member Dr. Derrick Bennett heard that the district's plan covers five to ten years, prioritizes life-safety and utility systems, and now separates capital funding from the spring operating budget under a memorandum of agreement reached last year with Bridgewater and Raynham — a change prompted by guidance from the state Department of Revenue. Powers identified the 20-year-old high school roof as the district's most pressing capital concern, saying roofing membranes are visibly separating and allowing water intrusion across multiple wings, but the Massachusetts School Building Authority's Accelerated Repair Program now runs on a two-year cycle, pushing any state assistance to at least the next application window.