How much will a new Shaker Lane School cost?
This will be the most expensive project Littleton has undertaken to date. The Project Team respects this and has been working diligently to reduce project costs and the resulting impact on taxpayers. The town will be working with a construction manager at risk (per Chapter 149A) who will ensure we do not exceed our budgeted total project cost.
| GUARANTEED total project cost: the final appropriation amount to be approved at Town Meeting; this is not the taxpayers’ cost | $98.1 M |
| GUARANTEED MSBA grant: increased by $8.8 M and ours for the taking | $38.2 M |
| Net project cost: | $59.9 M |
| Net bond amount: actual cost to Littleton’s taxpayers, reduced by $9.2 M | $50.7 M |
| Est. split tax impact, year 1 (FY30): “first year, worst year”—bill will decrease each year; based on the average FY25 Littleton home value of $694,868; bond term 20 years; reflects estimated future split tax rates; Debt Exclusion Stabilization fund pays 14.35% of debt over 20 years | $719.20 ($60/mo) |
More information on the debt exclusion and Shaker Lane School financing plan can be found on the town website.
A YES vote for Shaker Lane is now less expensive for taxpayers than a NO vote. The final project numbers are here!
Here are the facts:
Current Project Data/Assumptions
as of August 27, 2025
- Construction of a new Shaker Lane School on the upper field behind the current building at a cost of $98,079,951.
- Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA) grant is $38,192,408 and a potential $662,401 for contingencies.
- Net project cost (Town responsibility) is $59,934,262.
- Financing the estimated net project cost will require the Town to ask residents to approve a Debt Exclusion for the net amount of this bond. A Debt Exclusion requires voter approval. The additional amount for the payment of debt service is added to the levy limit or levy ceiling for the life of the debt only. Unlike overrides, exclusions do not become part of the base upon which the levy limit is calculated for future years. More information on Debt Exclusions can be found in the FAQ section on the Town website.
- Projected 20-year bond for $50,725,000 issued in the 4th quarter of FY29 @ a 5% coupon rate. This bond amount is net of a projected $2.054 million premium estimated to be received upon the sale of the bond as well as an additional $7.1 million, that is estimated to be deposited to the School Building Stabilization account between now and FY28. This $7.1 million will be applied toward construction costs. The Select Board, Finance Committee and School Committee have agreed to fund these contributions to the School Building Stabilization account.
“We get a brand-new school for 50 cents on the dollar or we’re gonna be dollar-for-dollar in an undersized, aging building.”
Justin McCarthy, Littleton School Committee Chair, on 01460: On The Go! September 10, 2025
Let’s talk taxes
The estimated first year split tax impact for the average home in Littleton will be $719.20, or $60/month.
Tax impacts decrease each year as principal payments are made on the bond. The tax goes away when the bond is paid off in FY49. The Debt Exclusion Stabilization Fund will pay 14.35% of this debt over the 20 years.
The Shaker Lane School tax calculator can help estimate the impact on your taxes for years 1–20 (FY30 to FY49) using your individual FY25 home value and the current project information.
A YES vote buys us:
A brand new, sustainable, Shaker Lane School designed for 21st century learning, accessibility, and growth, built on the fields behind the current school to avoid disruptions to student population, plus new fields—all with $38.2 M in grant funding.
| GUARANTEED total project cost: the final appropriation amount to be approved at Town Meeting; this is not the taxpayers’ cost | $98.1 M |
| GUARANTEED MSBA grant: increased by $8.8 M and ours for the taking | $38.2 M |
| Net project cost: | $59.9 M |
| Net bond amount: actual cost to Littleton’s taxpayers, reduced by $9.2 M by the Town | $50.7 M |
| Est. split tax impact, year 1 (FY30): “first year, worst year”—bill will decrease each year; based on the average FY25 Littleton home value of $694,868; bond term 20 years; reflects estimated future split tax rates; Debt Exclusion Stabilization fund pays 14.35% of debt over 20 years | $719.20 ($60/mo) |
A NO vote buys us:
At least ten years of maintenance on the existing building, code upgrades (not renovations), enough modular classrooms for the entire school. Then, the cost of a new Shaker Lane School including years of cost escalation and no grant funding.
| Estimated cost of code upgrades: final cost may be higher; will worsen space issues and require modular classrooms | $44 M |
| Estimated cost of modular classrooms: 22 modulars needed for all 414 students during repairs | $12 M |
| Estimated net project cost: | $56 M |
| Estimated net bond amount: estimated cost to Littleton’s taxpayers, reduced by $5 M by the Town | $51 M |
| Est. tax impact, year 1: “first year, worst year”—bill will decrease each year; based on the average FY25 Littleton home value of $694,868; bond term 10 years | $1,494.77 ($125/mo) |
| PLUS a new Shaker Lane School: reflects 10 years of cost escalation compounded at a 5% annual increase | $161.5 M |
What are we voting on?
A debt exclusion requires two votes. On October 28, a FY26 Fall Special Town Meeting will vote to authorize the Town to issue the bonds necessary to construct the Shaker Lane School. Approval will require a 2/3 majority vote at Town Meeting. A second vote will take place shortly after Town Meeting, at a town election on November 1, to ask the Town to raise the amount needed outside the Levy Limit to make principal and interest payments on a 20-year bond.
Littleton must vote YES on October 28 and November 1 for the Shaker Lane School Building Project to pass.
If the project does not pass Town Vote, the cost of building code upgrades to the current school ($56 million) will also require a debt exclusion. The projected bond of $51 million to finance these upgrades—not a renovation—is higher than the bond for building a new Shaker Lane School ($50.7 million).
Information on Article 10, from 2025 Special Town Meeting Preview
I can’t afford to pay more in taxes—how can the Town help?
Littleton offers Real Estate Tax Deferrals and Tax Exemptions to assist residents that may qualify for tax relief.
If passed at October 28 Special Town Meeting, Article 10 will increase the income limits to qualify for the Town’s 65+ tax deferral program to match the State’s Circuit Breaker income limit, currently $72,000. YES for Littleton is in support of this article as it will help many in our town who are struggling with rising property taxes.
Littleton’s Tax Relief for Elders and the Disabled (TREAD) Program is a special fund created to collect donations and disburse them to low-income elderly property owners and qualifying disabled owners.
The Town also offers a Senior Tax Work-Off Program through the Department of Elder and Human Services.
There are also state aid programs available, such as the Massachusetts Senior Circuit Breaker Tax Credit.
Littleton has and will continue to investigate ways to reduce the impact of the project on taxpayers. The Select Board and Finance committee will continue to put funds aside in the newly created School Building Stabilization Fund to reduce the impact of the debt exclusion on taxpayers.