Braintree moves into phase 3 of schools master plan; consultants to study student experience, enrollment and facility costs

Mayor Erin Joyce told the Braintree Town Council on Oct. 21 that the town is moving into phase 3 of a master planning process for Braintree Schools, with consultants ERS and Perkins Eastman working alongside Cropper GIS to study student experience, enrollment and facility needs ahead of next year’s budget season.

The master plan matters because the school system accounts for roughly 63% of the town’s budget, Joyce said, and the study is intended to clarify the trade‑offs—programmatic and financial—required to preserve neighborhood schools or pursue consolidation and capital projects.

Joyce said the work builds on two earlier efforts: ERS’s analysis of district cost drivers (including special‑education services and teacher compensation) and Cropper GIS’s demographic and enrollment projections. ERS will now collaborate with Perkins Eastman, an architectural firm, to translate…