How we got here — and where we're going
The road to the
new Killam
On March 2, 2022, the Massachusetts School Building Authority invited the J. Warren Killam Elementary School into its process — Reading was 1 of 17 districts chosen from 118 applicants. Four years later, construction is underway. Every step is documented below.
7 of 10 stages complete · currently in Construction
MSBA InvitationThe MSBA Board of Directors votes to invite the J. Warren Killam Elementary School into the Eligibility Period — Reading is 1 of just 17 districts chosen from 118 applicants statewide.
- MSBA Board vote: March 2, 2022
- Reading selected 1 of 17 from 118 statements of interest
Eligibility PeriodThe Town completes MSBA eligibility requirements: forming the Killam School Building Committee, certifying local funding for the feasibility study, and preparing for the project ahead.
- Killam School Building Committee convened — first archived meeting July 18, 2022
- Financial Forum held with the Finance Committee, September 21, 2022
Feasibility StudyColliers Project Leaders joins as Owner's Project Manager and Lavallee Brensinger Architects as designer. The team studies existing conditions, leads educational visioning with 30+ community participants, and develops alternatives.
- OPM interviews May 17, 2023 — Colliers Project Leaders selected
- Designer selected through MSBA Designer Selection Panel — Lavallee Brensinger Architects
- Educational visioning sessions, winter 2024 — 30+ participants
- 21 stakeholder groups engaged in one week of visioning alone
- Evaluation of alternatives presented to the community, July 15, 2024
Visioning the Future of Killam School →Community Meeting — Evaluation of Alternatives →
Preferred SchematicAfter evaluating alternatives with the community, the Building Committee selects a preferred solution: a new multi-story school on the existing Killam site, submitted to the MSBA.
- Community Meeting — Preferred Solutions, July 24, 2024
- Site & community-use and traffic-analysis community meetings, October 2024
Schematic DesignThe design is developed in detail — building layout, site circulation, sustainability targets and cost estimates — culminating in a schematic design submission to the MSBA.
- Traffic analysis of the proposed design shared October 31, 2024
- Joint public forums with the ReCAL project, April 2025
- Tax impact calculator released by the Town Accountant
Project FundingReading says yes: Town Meeting approves the funding article, voters pass the debt-exclusion ballot question, and the MSBA approves its grant for the project.
- MSBA approval — April 30, 2025 (per the project schedule)
- Town vote — May 13, 2025 (per the project schedule)
- Town Meeting approves the Killam funding article
- Debt-exclusion vote passes
- MSBA grant approval secured
Detailed Design & BiddingConstruction documents are completed and the project moves through procurement — bidding the work that will build the new Killam.
- Procurement and bidding phase, fall/winter 2025
- Site plan review completed August 2025
- Bid award initially targeted May 2026; the project was rebid, and the general contractor contract was signed June 16, 2026
ConstructionConstruction is underway on the Killam site. The Building Committee meets monthly and posts updates here and on the project's social channels after each meeting.
- General contractor contract signed June 16, 2026 — awarded to Brait Builders Corp.
- Building construction runs through February 2028, with substantial completion targeted for December 2027
- Building Committee meets monthly — see the calendar
- Abutters receive CodeRED notifications for site work impacts
New Killam OpensStudents and staff move into the new J. Warren Killam Elementary School. The preliminary project schedule (April 2025) targets move-in for February 2028 — the date will be confirmed here as construction progresses.
Final Site CompletionAfter the new school opens, the existing 1969 building is removed and the full site — play areas, fields and landscaping — is completed. The preliminary schedule targets final completion for fall 2028.
Understanding the process
What is the MSBA?
The Massachusetts School Building Authority is the state agency that partners with cities and towns to build schools — and reimburses a portion of eligible project costs. Its process has nine modules and can take upwards of six years from start to finish.
Being invited into the process is competitive: in 2022, Killam was one of just 17 projects selected from 118 statements of interest statewide.
The project team produced a short video series explaining each part of the process — from the MSBA opportunity to the educational plan.
The official schedule
Project schedule
The project team's published schedule, rebuilt as a living graphic. The latest schedule updates always appear in the most recent meeting packet.