Tewksbury Finance Committee Rejects Shawsheen Tech Budget and Feasibility Study

TEWKSBURY — April 27, 2026 — Tewksbury's Finance Committee voted against recommending both the Shawsheen Regional Vocational Technical School's $9,560,993 budget and a building feasibility study, citing unresolved financial problems at the district. The committee voted 3-2 against the Shawsheen Tech budget line and 4-1 against Article 24, the feasibility study appropriation, before approving the remainder of the town's general fund budget at an amended total of $141,744,765 — the original $151,305,758 minus the tech school's share. School Committee Chair Patricia Mews described ongoing corrective work with consultant TMS Solutions and said business manager interviews were underway, but committee members pressed that no audit completion date exists, no permanent business manager is in place, and at least four of the five member towns have raised similar concerns. Building committee member Christopher Wood, a fire protection engineer, argued the 56-year-old school — designed for 1,000 students and now serving 1,300 — faces obsolete HVAC systems, pervasive asbestos, and a potential decade-long delay if the MSBA process is abandoned now. Final votes rest with Tewksbury residents at annual town meeting on May 4 and special town meeting on May 6.