$5M surplus eases Revere taxpayers’ burden on new Northeast Metro Tech construction

By Barbara Taormina

A $5.1 million surplus for the new Northeast Metropolitan Regional Vocational High School building construction that will reduce the bond payments for the 12 contributing communities that support it, including Revere, is only part of the good news from the regional technical school.

Revere School Committee Member Anthony Caggiano, who also serves on Northeast Metro Tech’s School Committee, said careful oversight of costs of the new $317 million school – scheduled to open in 2026 – and additional funding from the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA) resulted in the surplus. “Since Revere is the largest contributor, the city received the largest reduction in payments,” said Caggiano.

Originally, Revere was scheduled to pay $59,272,995 through 2055 for the school. Now, the city is looking at a total payment of $54,107,858. For taxpayers, that means a reduction in 2025 costs for homeowners from $12.60 per $100,000 of assessed value to $8.57. Community contributions are based on enrollment numbers.

According to Caggiano, typically 300 Revere students apply to Metro Tech each year but only about 65 are accepted and enrolled.

“That’s why the new school is needed,” he said, adding that for the past couple of years he was able to get 73 Revere students into Northeast Metro Tech. The new building will be able to accommodate 1,600 students compared to the 1,343 who currently attend.

In addition to the cost cuts, Caggiano had more positive news about the Voke. “For the first time ever, this past fall, Northeast Regional started teaching plumbing at Revere High which has been very successful,” he said. “Hopefully, we will be adding another vocational curriculum in the near future.”