The former Bishop Connolly High School is in process to come under city ownership, but it’s unlikely the city will be able to close on the property before January 2027 — after the purchase and sales agreement gets a rubber stamp from the Vatican. 

At a joint meeting of the Fall River Public School Committee and the City Council on April 14, the school district’s Chief Operating Officer Ken Pacheco spoke not only of the prospect of a drafted sales agreement, but what buying the property would mean to Fall River’s “youngest and most vulnerable” students in terms of providing programs and classes “breathing room.”

The $29.8 million, 55-acre property with outdoor facilities and seven buildable acres is just over 600,000 square feet. It houses 18 classrooms and 133 students — both of which are expected to double in number after the purchase is finalized and updates to the building are made. 

“There’s a lot more work to do to get there,” Pacheco told councilors and members of the school board. “This is where we want to go.”

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