Selectmen will ask voters at the upcoming October Town Meeting to OK a request that would place a multi-million question for a new elementary school before the entire town in November.

On Tuesday, board members lent their support for an agenda item that if approved would place a question on Wareham’s ballot during the Nov. 6 state election. The question is seeking a debt exclusion for a proposed $90 million elementary school, dubbed the Decas School at Minot Forest. Selectmen and Town Moderator Claire Smith stressed that the Town Meeting request is not asking voters to build the school. Smith explained a “yes” vote would only place the question before voters during the November election. Town Meeting is set for Monday, Oct. 22 at 7 p.m. in the Wareham High School auditorium. All registered voters may participate.

“The question of whether or not to build the school is not happening at Town Meeting,” said Smith. “That is happening at the ballot box in November.”

School officials are seeking to build a new school where Minot Forest Elementary, which was closed at the beginning of the summer, is located now. Officials said the building is beset with a wide range of structural issues. Opened in 1965, the building requires significant upgrades for security, electrical wiring and fire safety. Existing ceilings contain asbestos and the current plumbing system does not meet low-flow or handicap accessibility requirements. Minot would also require extensive foundation work in addition to steel shear bracing and seismic clips throughout as necessary to meet current structural code requirements.

The school’s construction cost is an estimated $90.3 million. The Massachusetts School Building Authority is slated to reimburse the town approximately $59.8 million of that cost, which means Wareham would have to pay approximately $39.5 million for the new school. If the debt exclusion is approved in November it would raise taxes on residents until the debt is repaid. Currently, officials anticipate that the district share of $39.5 million translates to approximately $0.66 – $0.81 of additional tax burden per $1,000 of valuation. That’s roughly $170 – $210 annually for the average single-family home depending on the length of bond.

Two information sessions on the project will be held in October hosted by school and design officials. For more information on the design plans, visit newschool.warehamps.org.