Milton Building News · School Building Committee Agenda
Milton's State-Aided School Project Picks Its Architect as Labouré Emerges as an Alternative
Gile Rd · Oct 14, 2026 · School project
Milton's state-aided new school is picking its architect while Town Meeting weighs Labouré as a cheaper path.
- The project: Milton entered the Massachusetts School Building Authority program in December 2024 and signed a feasibility study agreement in February 2026. The state can reimburse up to about 40% of eligible costs.
- Where: Gile Road, a 6.4-acre town-owned site, has been the likely location for a new grades 7-8 school with PreK and school offices. The state also requires the study to look at repairing or adding on to Cunningham and Collicot.
- Options studied: three enrollment options: K-5 at a combined Cunningham/Collicot with districtwide PreK for 1,400 students, an added elementary school with neighborhood PreK for 495, or a grades 7-8 school with districtwide PreK for 660
- Cost: about $180M, or about $130M to Milton after state aid, according to School Committee member Nathan Hutto. Earlier estimates were around $170M and are a couple of years old, he wrote.
- Architect: the School Building Committee has been reviewing designer submissions since September. Finalists Arrowstreet, which drew the earlier Gile Road concept, and DLR, which did the quick Labouré study, were set to interview Oct 20, Hutto reported. PMA was hired in June as the town's project manager.
- The Labouré choice: a PreK/K center at Labouré is estimated at $83.8M with no state aid, and the Warrant Committee estimates it would save about $33M compared with Gile Road. Labouré can be studied inside the state program only for the same three enrollment options, the town says.
- Background: Hutto, who opposes Labouré, argues a Gile Road school would serve about 300 more students than a PreK/K center and relieve crowding at every school. The School Committee voted 3-2 on Oct 7 to study a PreK/K center at Labouré while the state project continues. Our Oct 19 story covers the $11.75M Labouré purchase.
Sources: Town's Labouré page (MSBA status) · School Building Committee Oct 14 agenda · Hutto's Oct 7 School Committee recap · Town Meeting warrant
Earlier coverage: $11.75M Labouré purchase (Oct 19, 2026)