The Lakeville Public School District Board of Education voted Jan. 13 to adopt the district'recommended elementary boundary plan (E1) and to approve middle-school plan M1, moves the superintendent and planning staff said are intended to rebalance enrollment across the district.

Superintendent Bauman told the board the planning team had evaluated multiple models and recommended E1 because it provides a longer runway of stability. "We have done deep due diligence," Bauman said, summarizing a multiyear planning process and stressing that E1 is the plan most likely to avoid repeated boundary changes in the near term.

Administration'provided numbers showing E1 would affect about 568 elementary "movers" (approximately 11% of elementary students) while the narrower E2 option would move fewer students (about 185) but likely require further adjustments sooner. Planning staff and board members also discussed the number of "multiple movers," siblings affected and projected occupancy percentages at each elementary school under the two models.

Directors who favored E1 said the broader redraw better balances capacity and reduces the risk that one or two high-growth neighborhoods will push a single school well over target occupancy again. Director Baker, who moved the E1 adoption, said the district'wide approach better positions schools to absorb future housing growth.

Directors who opposed E1 warned about the near-term impacts on particular neighborhoods and questioned whether a phased approach could achieve similar stability with fewer immediate moves. Several directors asked for and discussed bus-route cost estimates and the implications for siblings and intra-district transfers; district staff estimated expanded routing for movers and siblings could add roughly $560,000 in transportation costs in the modeled scenarios.

On the middle-school side, the board approved M1 by a 7'0vote to address Century Middle School's overcapacity, moving students among Century, Kenwood and Maguire to bring projected occupancy into tolerance.

The board and administration outlined transition steps for families and students, including meet-your-new-school events, individualized outreach from principals, case manager and counseling support, and optional IEP meetings for special education families who request them.

The board scheduled a second reading and implementation steps where required; directors said they will continue monitoring enrollment and the effect of new housing developments and may revisit boundaries if projections change.