The entrance to Cape Elizabeth Middle School. Drew Johnson / Sentry

Cape Elizabeth voters will be asked whether to authorize spending $94.7 million on a new middle school, additions and renovations at the elementary school, renovations at the high school and repurposing the town’s original 1934 school building.

Of the $94.7 million bond, $89.9 million would go toward building the new middle school and additions and renovations at the others, and $4.8 million is slated for repairs and refurbishing of the 1934 building, which is part of the current middle school.

If passed, the town estimates a tax increase of 12.2% over the first three years of the bond, with taxes increasing by 2% in 2026, 6.1% in 2027 and 4.1% in 2028. The owner of a home assessed at $720,000, the median as of this spring’s revaluation, is expected to pay roughly $960 per year toward the project starting in 2028.

This school proposal is the latest to come before voters in recent years. From a $116 million proposal for a new middle and elementary school in 2022, which failed with 62% of voters opposed, to this year’s proposal, residents have been divided on what they think is the best solution — and at what price — to address the district’s aging buildings. However, the vast majority of residents agree on one thing: a significant investment in the town’s schools is necessary.

Assessing the need

Additions and renovations were completed on both the 1934 building and the Pond Cove Elementary School (built in 1948) in the ’50s and ’60s before they were eventually connected into one, sprawling complex via additions in 1994, which included a library, classrooms and a cafetorium at the middle school and a gym, office space and new entry, plus renovations, at the elementary school. A kindergarten wing was added to Pond Cove in 2004.

The complex’s sprawling nature makes it difficult for students and staff to navigate and poses a challenge for utilities, such as heat, to be balanced throughout, which drives up costs.

“The school’s mechanical systems are performing well right now, but most of the major components have exceeded their expected lifespan,” said Facilities Director David Bagdasarian. “We’re entering a period where the risk of unexpected breakdowns is higher, which could lead to costly repairs or even disruptions.”

Proponents of the plan say classrooms are too small and need to be right-sized and equipped to provide education in the 21st century and accommodate extracurriculars.

“We’re looking to create flexible 21st-century classrooms,” said Superintendent Chris Record. “We’re looking to provide enough classroom space and performance space for our robust music, art and athletic programming. We’re trying to find or create enough space to serve our special education students and we’re really looking at creating a healthy school building that has modern mechanical systems, natural light, indoor air quality and appropriate space for the nurse.”

The cafetorium the two schools share also poses major challenges.

“We’re trying to get close to a thousand students through lunch and we have a small space to do it,” said Sarah Rubin, the principal of Cape Elizabeth Middle School. “At the middle school, our lunchtime needs to end by about 11:35 in the morning in order for Pond Cove to get all their kids through.”

Security is another major concern at the two schools: Visitors at the middle school have to walk by the cafeteria before getting to the main office to check in, and food delivery personnel walk by fifth-grade classrooms before getting to the kitchen.

The current proposal

The $89.9 million would be spent to build a 110,690-square-foot middle school, including nearly 28,000 square feet of renovations and over 4,600 square feet of additions at the elementary school, plus renovations at the high school. The additional $4.8 million would go to the town to repurpose the 1934 building.

The new middle school would address the space constraints the current school currently faces, with a right-sized cafeteria and auditorium space, a stage that can accommodate the school’s 100-plus band members and a high school-sized gymnasium and two two-story classroom wings. It would also come with modern and more eco-friendly utilities, with electric heating and cooling and a roof that can support solar panels.

The elementary school improvements would include new mechanical utilities, flooring and new ceilings in classrooms. It would also include a new, secure entry vestibule with administrative offices and a larger nurse’s office as well as an addition of STEM space next to the library and renovations in the lobby to create collaboration spaces.

The project, dubbed the “Middle Ground,” is derived from two proposals that, after 18 months of work, split the town’s School Building Advisory Committee. The committee voted 5-4 to recommend a $77.3 million project, dubbed “Option B,” consisting of renovations and additions at the elementary and middle schools and renovations at the high school. The opposing four committee members favored “Option E,” a $114.5 million project that included building a new middle school and additions and renovations at the elementary school and renovations at the high school.

The debate

A group in favor of the proposal, Advancing Cape Elizabeth Schools, formed in 2022 ahead of the failed referendum.

“I think the fact that (a solution) is on the ballot again for the second time really drives home the point that something needs to be done,” said Elizabeth Biermann, a founding member of Advancing Cape Elizabeth Schools. “I think more and more people are truly understanding that.”

The group argues the middle school is beyond its useful life and, in working on the proposal, architects helped craft a plan to address other needs at the elementary and high schools in the future.

“There’s a new building, but it also includes a prioritized list of what things to tackle and when over the next decade,” said Nicole Boucher, an Advancing Cape Elizabeth Schools member and former town councilor. “It really feels like we, for the first time in a long time, have a master plan for this campus and it’s looking at it as a holistic thing.”

They also say a new school is a more financially responsible investment than just additions and renovations due to its lifespan.

Bill Springer, another group member, said the new school would better equip staff and students with their educational needs than other approaches.

“The old school as it is, it’s just not prepared to deal with the issues that these middle schoolers are dealing with,” Springer said. “A new school designed by current architects, taking current issues into play, will do so much to improve our students’ experience.”

Another group of residents, Cape Voters, opposes the project. They say they recognize the great need for a comprehensive solution, but believe the $77.3 million proposal that the majority of committee members voted in favor of, 5-4, is a better solution.

“Option B is the true compromise option that addresses the critical needs of all three schools and does so under a 10% tax increase, which we think would be approved,” said Mary Ann Lynch, treasurer of Cape Voters and a former town councilor.

While it incorporated parts of Options B and E, Larry Benoit, a member of the School Building Advisory Committee, believes their work was dismissed when the school board crafted the Middle Ground project. He was one of the members who voted in favor of Option B.

“SBAC had no role whatsoever in the development of the proposal that’s on the ballot,” he said. “It was clear that the school board did not want nor did it like the recommended Option B.”

They also argue the tax impact comes in at over 10%, more than what the majority of residents in a survey deemed acceptable, especially after the revaluation. They also feel Option B did more to address needs at Pond Cove and the high school than the proposal on the ballot and, with parts of the middle school being built in 1994, they said rebuilding wastes that investment.

Cape Voters has also argued that the actual cost of the project totals $104 million, with over $9 million expected to come over the next six to seven years in the school department’s capital improvement budget.

However, the superintendent argues that likely won’t lead to any additional expenses, as their capital improvement budget year after year includes repairs that won’t be necessary if the project is passed.

“I know this is a tough choice for our taxpayers and our community members,” Record said. “This is really an investment in a brand new school for the first time in over 50 years for Cape Elizabeth. I think the time is now and I really appreciate the support our community gives our schools.”

More information on the project can be found at cape.k12.me.us/o/cesd/page/buildingproject.

This story was updated at 9:41 a.m. on Oct. 24 to correct the estimated cost of Option E, which was $114.5 million.