Dr. Perkins, superintendent of Quincy Public Schools, and Janet Loftus, principal of Lincoln Hancock Elementary School, presented a plan March 26 to reopen the Emilio de la Chiesa building as an early‑childhood center offering expanded pre‑K and some kindergarten classrooms to relieve overcrowding at Lincoln Hancock.

The proposal would locate both integrated half‑day and full‑day pre‑K classrooms at Dela Chiesa, move six kindergarten classrooms from Lincoln Hancock into the building, and add a transitional‑kindergarten classroom moved from Atherton Howe. The presenters said the plan also would restore dedicated spaces now used as therapy and support areas and create a proper library at Lincoln Hancock.

District leaders said the changes are intended to address space and programmatic problems that affect students receiving special education and English‑learner services. Dr. Perkins said recent needs‑assessment data show families want more full‑day integrated pre‑K; the district is applying for the state CPPI grant (estimated at about $750,000) to help fund expanded full‑day seats.

Supporters said Dela Chiesa’s floor plan can accommodate roughly 12 classrooms after converting therapy rooms and smaller split spaces; they proposed three integrated half‑day pre‑K classrooms (each configured as eight typically developing peers and seven students with disabilities), two full‑day integrated pre‑K classrooms, six kindergarten classrooms moved from Lincoln Hancock, and one transitional kindergarten relocated from Atherton Howe. School staff said Lincoln Hancock now has 14 classroom spaces in the building footprint and that reassigning rooms would return some student‑support areas to enclosed classrooms instead of open hallway or partitioned spaces.

Principal Loftus described Lincoln Hancock as a building with many open, non‑enclosed teaching and support areas built in the 1970s and said students receiving interventions currently work in crowded, split spaces. She said the proposed move would give special‑education and EL services quieter, enclosed spaces and restore a proper library area that has been reduced to a hallway footprint.

Committee members broadly supported the goal of improving Lincoln Hancock’s learning environment but several urged a districtwide facilities review before approving a final plan. Committee member Mrs. Perdios said the committee should take a “30,000‑foot” view of enrollment and redistricting because moving grades or programs can create long‑term consequences — for example, potentially requiring a child to attend multiple schools between kindergarten and high school. Others, including the mayor, noted the shortage of capacity across the district and said reopening Dela Chiesa is an immediate step that can be taken now while city and district leaders study longer‑term options such as redeveloping the St. Mary’s site in West Quincy.

Dr. Perkins and staff said they prioritized Lincoln Hancock for immediate action because of the building’s physical limitations and the needs of high‑need students. They acknowledged that reopening Dela Chiesa alone would not solve all district crowding. They said a planned West Quincy elementary school on the St. Mary’s site could trigger broader redistricting and help longer‑term balance across schools.

Staff provided several clarifying data points during the discussion: the Quincy Public Schools part‑day pre‑K schedule runs roughly 7:35–10:10 a.m. (morning) and 11:10 a.m.–1:50 p.m. (afternoon); the district currently has about 200 students on a pre‑K wait list; 44% of families surveyed in the CPPI needs assessment said current part‑day hours do not meet their needs; and 23.8% of eligible special‑education students in the district are served in substantially separate programs versus a statewide rate of about 13.2% (the district said that discrepancy was cited in its most recent coordinated program review). Superintendent and staff said the earliest realistic timetable for capital work would likely push any construction or major renovation toward the 2026–27 school year, giving time to plan HVAC and other infrastructure work.

No formal committee vote on reopening Dela Chiesa was recorded at the meeting. The superintendent said the district team would bring further options and data back to the committee and that staff would meet with subcommittees and the superintendent’s leadership team to develop scenarios, including ones that assume a new West Quincy school is built.

The committee asked the administration to prepare materials for a subsequent meeting and to consider a joint teaching‑and‑learning and facilities discussion so educators and facilities staff can align programmatic needs with building plans.