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Superintendent: MSBA review underway for Lawrence School; federal funding changes could affect district
Summary
Superintendent Lori Dore updated the committee on MSBA review status for Lawrence School, potential town funding for a comprehensive study, new hires and administrators, a town study of Morse Pond, and federal-level risks including proposed vouchers and cuts to Medicaid and SNAP.
Superintendent Lori Dore told the School Committee on Sept. 9 that the district met with the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA) for a scheduled review and tours of Lawrence and Morse Pond schools and that acceptance into the MSBA program would be announced in December.
"The meeting went well, but it doesn't necessarily mean that we're accepted in," Dore said, explaining that if the district is accepted the next step would be a comprehensive study of Lawrence School. She said any such study must be conducted after acceptance; work done in advance cannot be used for the MSBA process. If accepted, a town vote for funding the comprehensive study would occur in April and not on the ballot in May, she said, estimating the initial study cost at about $2,000,000.
Dore also reviewed district personnel changes, listing numerous new hires and several new principals and administrators hired as of Sept. 2, and noting open positions remain: early childhood special education teacher, elementary teachers, special education aides, and others. She named Stephen Kapolkas as the new principal of T. [Ticket] Elementary and noted other administrative hires.
On federal policy, Dore said two developments could change the district's landscape: a proposed federal voucher program (start date cited as 2027) and large proposed cuts to SNAP and Medicaid. Reviewing other states with vouchers, Dore said available evidence shows vouchers often go to families already in private schools and cited income distributions from Arizona and Oklahoma as examples. On SNAP and Medicaid she said experts predict 2' million children could lose SNAP benefits and major cuts to Medicaid are proposed; she said the district is monitoring potential impacts on student eligibility and funding.
Dore described a separate federal action rescinding the 2015 Dear Colleague letter on English learners and said DESE has committed that Massachusetts will continue current practices; she said the district will continue to provide services to multilingual learners.
Dore also told the committee that the town will seek $150,000 for a Morse Pond "best use" study to be considered at the town warrant in November, and announced recent community events and recognitions, including the town's ribbon-cutting at the Farming Pond patch and a student civic-engagement panel. She highlighted Falmouth High School's placement in U.S. News & World Report rankings and explained which metrics drove the ranking.
Committee members asked clarifying questions about MSBA timelines, whether a town meeting vote for a study would be in April, and the superintendent clarified procedural steps. No formal vote was taken on the MSBA process at the meeting.
The superintendent said she will continue providing updates on federal and state funding developments as information becomes available.
