Framingham schools report enrollment dip; district weighs pre-K expansion options after Farley building code limits use

Superintendent Dr. Bob Tremblay told the Framingham School Committee on Jan. 9 that the district's October 1 enrollment numbers show a small decline consistent with statewide trends and national patterns. He said the district's "October 1 numbers" reflect a net drop and that the size and composition of the student population fluctuate because of mobility, housing, employment and other factors.

The decline affects the yearly chapter 70 funding calculation, Tremblay said, but he told the committee the district expects to be "held harmless" from a major loss this year as the state reconciles the counts. "We submit this each year. This is what we refer to affectionately as the October 1 numbers," Tremblay said.

The committee pressed staff on preschool (pre-K) capacity. Tiffany Maskell asked why pre-K was down 11 seats in the snapshot. Makayla (Mikaeli) Neves, director of student registration, said the figure is a snapshot and "not for specific reasons"; she said the district continues to enroll pre-K students as seats open and has increased total pre-K slots through partners and an additional classroom at McCarthy Elementary.

Committee members asked for clearer capacity reporting. Member Jen Moshe requested that future enrollment summaries show each school's total capacity as well as current enrollment so the committee and constituents can see where openings exist. Several members, including Adam Freudberg, said they want satellite partner sites such as MetroWest YMCA and Framingham State University reflected in committee briefings even if DESE does not count some sites for Chapter 70 calculations.

School leaders also reported that the Farley building cannot be used for preschool or elementary-age children without changing the building's occupancy classification and installing code-required systems. Dr. Tremblay and staff explained that MassBay's prior use left Farley classified for a B (business) occupancy rather than an E (education) occupancy for young students. Lincoln Lynch, executive director of finance and operations, said converting Farley for elementary/pre-K use would require an estimated $4 million for sprinkler systems, elevator upgrades and related work. "We projected 4,000,000," Lynch said.

Because of that cost and other constraints, Tremblay said the district is pursuing alternate options "within the district" to create additional classrooms and that Farley's conversion is being examined as part of longer-term capital planning and grant searches. Lynch and Tremblay said the district has added pre-K seats at partner sites (YMCA, Loving Nest, Framingham State University) and within some school buildings, and that design work is underway to add space where feasible. "We're not reducing'we've actually increased the number of available seats," Tremblay said.

Committee members said they want clearer, year-to-year, site-level reporting on total seats and reserved seats for early intervention, and asked staff to return with those numbers. The discussion also included a question about charter withdrawals (grade 5 to grade 6) and how that affects headcount; staff said charter movement is reflected in the grade-level counts.

The meeting produced no formal action to repurpose Farley or to approve a capital appropriation for sprinkler work; members asked staff to bring more options back during budget and capital planning discussions.