Hingham officials have negotiated a $448,531 reduction in the penalty associated with tearing down an addition at Hingham Middle School ahead of schedule.

The $5.6 million addition, constructed in 1996, was intended to last decades, and the debt associated with the project was amortized over 20 years. Although that debt is still being paid off, the existing school and the expansion will be torn down to make way for the $58.5 million middle school that will be built next door.