By Theresa Knapp

Any possibility of a merger of the Holliston Public Schools and the Millis Public School District was put to rest in an email on Feb. 14 from Holliston School Committee Chair Daniel Alfred to Millis School Committee Chair Robyn Briggs. 

In that email, Alfred said, “I would like to definitely state that the HSC [Holliston School Committee] is not [emphasis] interested in regionalizing the Holliston Public Schools with the Millis Public Schools, either in its entirety or just at the high school level.” 

In the correspondence, Alfred said Briggs mentioned the idea of regionalization and he presented the idea to the HSC for discussion, especially since Millis had been accepted into the Massachusetts School Building Authority program for a possible renovation or replacement of its Middle/High school.  

Alfred’s letter continued, “Since then, however, we have learned that a new MSBA application would be required for a regional high school, making your current MSBA invitation inapplicable for this purpose. Additionally, Millis has experienced a second failed override in the span of six months, which raises significant concerns about whether your residents are prepared to finance such an endeavor.” 

On Feb. 5, the Millis School Committee and Millis Select Board endorsed a renovation/addition project for the Millis Middle/High School and will seek a debt exclusion in the fall. The plan was submitted to the MSBA in late February.