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School committee reviews redistricting maps, highlights modular classrooms as key to short-term ECP capacity
Summary
Committee members and the advisory group reviewed multiple draft maps from Sanborn Consultants. Administrators said modular classrooms would provide flexibility for the Early Childhood Program (ECP) while the district finalizes longer-term building plans; advisory members preferred maps that preserved program stability and demographic equity.
The Woburn School Committee reviewed several draft redistricting maps on March 5 and heard from its advisory committee that the district’s preferred near-term strategy is to pair a longer-term redistricting plan with modular classrooms to relieve space pressures for the Early Childhood Program (ECP).
Superintendent Matthew Crowley and resource-subcommittee members described three map options developed with consultant Sanborn: each option reflects a different placement for a program identified in the slides as RISE 2 (a specialized program), which shaped the layout of component areas on the maps.
Crowley said the district asked Sanborn for maps that would (a) reflect an "end-state" configuration if modular classrooms were available and (b) include components that could be shifted in a phased approach if modulars are not secured in time for September. He told the committee that modulars were the "best option" because they create immediate classroom capacity while the city evaluates permanent building solutions.
Members of the advisory committee and several public commenters said they want better information on classroom-level impacts, transportation, grandfathering of current students and timelines for before- and after-school care registrations. Parent speakers from Shamrock, Malcolm White and Reeves elementary schools emphasized that class-size equity, demographics of high-need students and minimization of student disruption should be top priorities. Emily Peters, a Reeves parent, summarized a Reeves survey result: "Overwhelmingly the top priority is equitable class size," she said.
Officials said Sanborn refined components so the district would have more flexibility to make limited moves for September while working toward a final map. That refinement produced maps advisory members generally preferred — one option that keeps RISE 2 at its current site and another that moves it to Reeves if modular classrooms are placed there.
Several parents asked for printable, high-resolution maps and an interactive address-based tool; administrators said those resources would be posted online and that a QR code and a shared folder with the maps would be made available to the public. The superintendent also said additional mapping material was scheduled for release the week after the meeting.
Committee members discussed how redistricting should relate to middle schools; several members moved to defer any final middle-school reassignments until after an elementary map is chosen, so that middle-school lines would not be decided in isolation. The committee voted 6–1 to postpone middle-school redistricting implementation until the 2026–27 school year while continuing planning work.
Crowley noted the city council will consider a request about modular classroom funding at its March 18 meeting, and he said modulars could be a multi-year solution while a permanent facility is planned and funded.
Ending
The committee asked for updated, printable maps, an interactive address lookup on the district website and a follow-up session where members will identify preferred options; the committee scheduled further redistricting discussion for its March 26 meeting.
