The 70,000 sf Annie E. Fales Elementary School in Westborough, MA produces 10% more energy than it consumes, making it the first Net Positive public school in Massachusetts. Architect Julia Nugent and an owner's representative (TBD) describe their work with the Town of Westborough to establish this ambitious energy goal and manage the financial, political, and technical challenges that occurred along the way. During early design charrettes with mechanical and electrical consultants as well as experts in energy modeling, solar design, daylighting, and geothermal heating and cooling, the design team targeted an EUI of 25 and agreed on specific and measurable objectives for major systems, such as window to wall ratio, light power density, and daylight autonomy. Early cost estimates paired with energy models aided in systems choices and showed the owner that the increase to the Town's annual construction bond payment for ZNE provisions would be offset by yearly energy savings. The team continued to use energy modeling combined with cost estimates to ensure that value engineering did not impact the ZNE goal.