FY26 A.I. Capital Planning, Facilities, and Your School's Future
Capital Planning, Facilities, and Your School's Future: The Critical Relationship
This session will pull back the curtain on how the earliest stages of educational facility assessments lay the groundwork for subsequent success for your schools and district. Presenters will outline the Facilities Condition Assessment process, as well as the nature and depth of information revealed by this work. For towns and districts seeking public funding for school improvements, the findings of the FCA may have implications for the newest iteration of the Massachusetts Accelerated Repair Program (ARP). Following a recap of these ARP changes, the panel will connect the dots to look at how long-term capital planning is best informed, funded, and publicly supported when administrators are equipped with the most current information and most comprehensive view of where they hope to lead their districts. Our panel will offer their insights and experience in all of these areas.
Elizabeth Lewis
Senior Project Manager / Structural Engineer
Habeeb & Associates Architects
Matthew Meehan
Director of Facilities
Hingham Public Schools
Kara Lees (Moderator)
Director of Finance
Atlantis Charter School
Kara Lees as the Chief Financial Officer for the Atlantis Charter School and a Certified Public Accountant has over 20 years of municipal and school district experience. In addition to her time at Atlantis Charter School, Kara has spent many years as an external auditor as well as serving as Director of Finance for Freetown-Lakeville Regional School District and Comptroller for Bridgewater State University. She has a Masters in Accountancy and has taught the Governmental and Non-Profit Accounting course as a Visiting Lecturer for several semesters at Bridgewater State. She is also certified as a School Business Official and Certified Public Purchasing Official in Massachusetts. She is also serving as an elected official as Vice Chair for her hometown Finance Committee.