SACO —  The Saco City Council voted unanimously last week to place a referendum question on the June 11 ballot that will support the building of two new schools.

The council gave final approval to “The Order Authorizing the City of Saco to Borrow an Amount Not to Exceed $140,749,348 to Finance Construction of a Grade 1 through Grade 5 School and a Pre-Kindergarten and Kindergarten School and order that the item be placed on the June 11, 2024, ballot.”

The estimated cost for the two schools is $140,749,348. The budget for the Grade 1-5 school is $109,321,427, according to City Council documents. Since it is a state-subsidized project, the state-funded portion of the school is $101,399,791, or 93%. The locally funded portion of the school is $7,921,636 or 7%.

The budget for the PreK-K School is $31,427,921 and would be locally funded.

Members of the public weighed in on the topic, as did every city councilor in attendance, according to a school department press release. Councilors were passionate in their support for the bond, pointing out that Saco has been trying for more than 20 years to move forward with badly needed modernization. Councilor Nathan Johnston noted that Saco has been debating the question of investing in school infrastructure since he was in his 20s.

“Half my lifetime I’ve spent waiting for some kind of solution,” Johnston said.

Saco’s share of the total project cost is 28%, with the State of Maine paying for 72% of the required funding for the two projects. Superintendent Jeremy Ray said Saco’s agreement with the state allows the city to cap its financial contribution at about $39 million, which Ray described as an “awesome opportunity.”

According to Assistant Superintendent Margaret Parkhurst, the school department is now tasked with providing information to the community ahead of the June referendum.

“In the weeks ahead we will conduct outreach and provide thorough information so that residents can make their own informed decisions,” Parkhurst said.