New Era for South Shore Tech as Voters Approve Building Project

District wide special election passes in landslide, 6634-1906 in preliminary results

South Shore Tech's $276 million building project gets the green light from voters across nine South Shore communities. The district-wide special election on Saturday saw strong support, with preliminary numbers showing 6,634 votes in favor and 1,906 against.

The new 250,000-square-foot facility will house 900 students, addressing overcrowding issues and expanding programs at the 62-year-old school in Hanover.

At a recent forum Superintendent Tom Hickey explained, "South Shore Tech has to turn away over 40% of applicants each year because we don't have enough space. This new building is the most responsible, cost-effective way to invest in our region's future workforce."

The Massachusetts School Building Authority is pitching in, reimbursing up to 40% of eligible costs. This will save member towns more than $110 million.

The project will add plumbing and veterinary science to the school's existing 12 vocational tracks.

Hickey addressed concerns about rapid enrollment increases: "We can't grow our operating budget faster than our towns can support. We'll reach a point where town leaders will say, 'Our town can sustain this.'"

Eight of the nine member communities will now figure out how to fund their share of the project costs, based on enrollment figures. Rockland already determined, passing a debt exclusion 863-650 in a parallel special election today.

Construction is set to start in April 2026, with the new school opening for the 2028-29 academic year.

The current facility, built in 1962, is the second-oldest regional vocational school in Massachusetts. Officials say renovating the existing structure would cost $140-150 million without state reimbursement.

Hickey emphasized, "We only get one shot at this. We had to find that sweet spot between something too big and unmanageable and something too small that wouldn't meet our district's needs."

South Shore Tech's night program, which has graduated over 200 people including veterans and underemployed individuals, will also benefit from the expanded facilities.

Town by town preliminary results: