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Dorchester 02 trustees approve repurposing of James H. Spann Elementary; 452 students to be redistricted
Summary
The Dorchester 02 board voted unanimously to repurpose James H. Spann Elementary into a district services hub rather than invest an estimated $9 million to renovate it as a neighborhood school. About 250 students will move to Summerville Elementary and roughly 202 to Eugene Sires Elementary; the LEAP program and special-education services will continue.
The Dorchester 02 Board of Trustees voted unanimously Dec. 8 to repurpose James H. Spann Elementary and redistrict its students after district leaders argued renovating Spann as a neighborhood elementary would cost about $9,000,000.
Superintendent Doherty told trustees the repurposing plan would convert Spann into a district services center to house food service, information technology staff, special-education programs, adult education, a planned elementary alternative program and future day-care space envisioned in a partnership with the YMCA. Doherty said the building is one of the district’s smallest neighborhood schools and that flooding concerns and capacity make renovation a costly option.
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