Andover School Committee adopts redistricting scenario E6M5, directs phased implementation

The Andover School Committee voted to adopt a final redistricting plan labeled scenario E6M5 and directed staff to pursue a phased implementation that prioritizes kindergarten early opt‑in and legacy enrollment for specified grades.

The committee’s decision followed a presentation by Nick Stellitano of Dillinger Research and Applied Data and more than an hour of public comment and member deliberation. Stellitano told the committee the scenarios were “informed by the members of the Andover Public Schools community and staff” and were intended to balance social‑emotional considerations, building capacity, and safe walking routes.

The nut graf: The committee faces a classic school‑district trade‑off — rebalance building utilization after new elementary capacity opened in recent years while trying to preserve peer cohorts and walking zones for middle school transitions. The adopted scenario seeks to rebalance High Plain with West Elementary and to alter middle school boundaries so more students move into larger cohorts, while the committee…