Woburn School Committee adopts Scenario 6 end map, directs phased rollout using Scenario 3

WOBURN, Mass. — The Woburn School Committee voted unanimously May 5 to adopt "Scenario 6" as the district's final redistricting map and instructed the superintendent and staff to begin implementation using a phased approach that starts with the Scenario 3 phase for September 2025.

The vote to adopt the end map (Scenario 6) passed 7-0. Committee members then passed a separate motion encouraging administration to use a Phase 3 implementation that would lead to the Scenario 6 end map; that motion also passed.

Why it matters: The committee said the adopted plan balances capacity across elementary buildings while keeping special-education and early childhood program (ECP) placements under active administrative management. Administration and community members said the plan aims to reduce overcrowding where it currently exists while preserving flexibility for future growth and space options.

Superintendent Dr. Crowley, who led the presentation of the maps and numbers, told the committee the district had surveyed many scenarios with consultant Sanborn and worked with an advisory group of parents, principals and staff. "Without more space, without a new building, without a place for students to go, this is the best I think that we can do for next September for all of our kids," Crowley said, noting there was "no perfect map." He recommended choosing Scenario 6 as the end map and using a Phase 3 rollout to minimize immediate movement of students.

Administration summarized the practical effects of both maps and the phased options. The district's planning document projects average class sizes of roughly 19.5 to 19.75 students in the scenarios presented (rounded to about 20). The district will allow rising fifth graders to remain at their current schools, and officials said temporary housing placements, siblings of special education students and other exceptional situations were accounted for in the enrollment calculations.

Public comment reflected mixed emotions. Several parent representatives and neighborhood volunteers thanked the district for outreach and urged particular implementation choices. Alex Tisdale, a Malcolm White parent representative, said the compromise of using Phase 3 into end-map 6 "gives us options for space as the district changes" and urged the committee not to adopt a Phase 6 rollout that he said would move too many students at once. In contrast, Ryan Murphy, a Hurl Wyman parent, said he was "very terrified about being redistricted" and described the stress of uprooting school communities.

Committee debate emphasized planning flexibility and community engagement. School Committee member Andrew Lipsett said Scenario 6 "provides us with a little bit of flexibility" to address ECP growth at Reeves without immediately moving large numbers of students; Lipsett said he considered Scenario 6 the "clear choice" when paired with a Phase 3 implementation. Several other members voiced support for Scenario 6 while acknowledging remaining "gray areas" to be worked out in implementation.

Implementation steps and timeline: Administration described immediate next steps for families affected by the adopted map: notifications to impacted families begin the day after the vote; principals and building staff will schedule school visits and daytime tours; buildings will be open for walk-throughs beginning May 13, and a larger set of building visits and a half-day event are planned for late May (administration referenced a half day on the "20 third" and additional parent-building activities). The district will use updated online registration forms for in-district requests and will add new families to the SOAR newsletter for transition information. Principals and student-services staff will coordinate Individualized Education Program (IEP) and 504 transitions and support meetings.

The committee also directed that written public comments submitted to the district since September 25, 2024, be made part of the public record; the chair said she will redact student-identifying information before publishing.

What the vote did and did not decide: The committee's action officially sets the boundary lines (Scenario 6 end map). The committee did not vote on program placements (special-education/early-childhood programs), which administration said remain an operational decision handled by district staff. The committee's separate motion asking administration to adopt a Phase 3 implementation toward the Scenario 6 end map is a formal recommendation to guide rollout and notifications.

Next steps: Administration will notify impacted families, schedule tours and transition visits, and continue outreach through the summer. The committee also referred modular-classroom options and continued implementation planning to the Resources subcommittee for follow-up. The district said additional feedback opportunities and a post-implementation evaluation will be considered to capture community experience with the new boundaries.

Votes at a glance

- Adopt end map: "Scenario 6" (final redistricting map). Outcome: approved, 7-0. - Recommend implementation approach: encourage administration to implement Scenario 6 using Phase 3 as the initial step (Phase 3 into Scenario 6). Outcome: approved (vote passed; tally not recorded separately in the transcript).

(For the record, roll call at the start of the meeting listed members present as Austin; Chisholm; Cormier; Lupic; Moran; Wessel; Crowley.)

Community context: The redistricting process included consultant work from Sanborn, multiple advisory and working-group meetings over months, two public forums the prior week (an in-person and a virtual forum on April 30), and an online survey. Parents and principals participated on an advisory committee, and administration emphasized that program placement decisions (IEPs, special-education classrooms, ECPs) remain under administrative authority and are reviewed year-to-year.

The School Committee plans to monitor implementation and directed staff to report on the phased rollout and modular options to the Resources subcommittee and to continue community outreach over the summer.