Andover school committee reviews final redistricting scenarios; considers grandfathering, transportation and special-education impacts

Andover Public Schools’ school committee reviewed a final set of proposed elementary and middle‑school boundary scenarios at a Feb. 27 workshop and asked administrators to model implementation details — including grandfathering, early enrollment and transportation impacts — before the committee votes on maps March 20.

The committee’s presentation and discussion, led by redistricting consultants Nick Stellitano and Katie Tartaglia of Dillinger Rad and district staff, focused on a new elementary plan (scenario 7) paired with a third middle‑school plan intended to reduce high utilization at Doherty Middle School while increasing use of the new West Elementary building. Lauren (School Committee member) said, “We determined early on that implementation would begin in fall of 2026,” to allow time for transportation modeling, student-information updates and staffing adjustments.

The consultants emphasized two tradeoffs informing the revised maps: keeping elementary cohorts together as much as possible to preserve continuity into middle school, and rebalancing building utilization so older facilities are not overcrowded. Nick Stellitano said the design goal included…