Stoughton redistricting committee approves timeline tied to new school, adds website for outreach

The Stoughton Public Schools Redistricting Committee on an evening meeting approved a multi-phase timeline for district redistricting tied to the opening of a new elementary school in September 2028 and voted to add a dedicated redistricting website as part of its outreach plan.

Amy Quayley, the district’s EL/MLL director and acting chair of the redistricting committee, presented the timeline that separates the work into vendor selection, data collection and preliminary analysis, public relations and community engagement, map development and committee recommendations, and implementation and operational planning. Quayley said the vendor selection process will begin in January–February, community surveys will follow in spring, a PR consultant is expected to be engaged by January 2027, and December 2027 budget planning will incorporate transportation and staffing for fiscal year 2029.

The committee voted to amend the timeline to include creation of a dedicated project website after the vendor selection process. "We're adding it in March after the vendor selection process to the timeline to add a website for the redistricting project," Quayley said after the motion passed. Several committee members argued a website would allow residents to access maps, meeting minutes, heat maps and documents as the process unfolds.

Committee members pressed for clear and early family notification when draft maps are published. One member said families should ideally be notified in January 2028 to provide time for planning; another recommended multiple outreach methods such as postcards, public forums and a website to reduce anxiety among parents. Quayley said the district will consult other recent local efforts — Andover, Plymouth and Norwood were cited — for recommended communication practices.

Members also discussed how to account for special-education programs and multilingual learners (ELL) in mapping. Quayley said she has tracked EL trends since 2020 and that ELL counts are relatively steady by school, while Ed Clark cautioned that special-education placements are more volatile and should be monitored closer to implementation. "We can put together our best estimate, but the numbers are going to be way off until we get closer to 2027," Clark said, urging the use of historical trends and updated data.

The committee appointed Katie Monahan, identified at the meeting as principal of Wilkins School, as the new secretary after a nomination; Christine Feeney agreed to take meeting notes for the session. The committee also adopted a schedule of three additional meetings — Feb. 12, April 9 and June 11 — and agreed future sessions will begin at 6 p.m. The chair said the district will post an updated list of members and distribute calendar invitations.

Next steps include issuing the vendor solicitation, conducting the spring community survey, launching outreach materials and convening the vendor for presentations to the committee once a firm is selected. The committee approved the amended timeline and adjourned for the evening.