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Superintendent outlines school‑choice limits and schedule after decade of enrollment analysis
Summary
Superintendent Kirk Downing presented a decade of enrollment data and recommended targeted school‑choice openings and class caps (no K–2 openings; class cap of 22 school‑choice students; grade‑ and school‑specific openings). Applications would open May 4, with a May 22 deadline and a May 26 lottery; the committee will vote after an April 29 hearing.
Superintendent Kirk Downing presented a detailed ten‑year enrollment analysis to the Nashoba Regional School Committee on April 8 and proposed a set of school‑choice openings and limits designed to protect class sizes and staffing while helping the district close tuition and enrollment gaps.
Key recommendations and calendar: Downing recommended keeping school choice closed for grades kindergarten through 2, capping school‑choice students at no more than 22 per class (two below the district class‑size cap to preserve flexibility), and setting ceilings of 200 students per high‑school grade and 260 students per K–8 grade level. He recommended specific openings by school and grade (examples included opening grades 6 and 7 at some middle schools and selective openings at elementary schools) and proposed that applications open May 4, with a submission deadline of May 22 at noon and a public lottery to be held May 26 at 11:00 a.m. The superintendent said the committee may adjust openings after the lottery if demand and capacity warrant it.
Downing walked members through town‑level participation rates, charter and vocational trends (including Minute Man enrollment shifts), homeschooling changes since the pandemic, and a development forecast tied to a local housing ALTA study that could add modest numbers of students over time. He explained the methodology behind the recommended openings (using five‑year rolling averages and adjustments for students accepted to Minute Man or private schools) and cautioned that raw seat counts must be adjusted for graduating seniors and students who opt out after acceptance.
Committee discussion: Members pressed whether the district should increase freshman school‑choice slots (an entry point for families) and suggested modest increases could be considered; others cautioned about department‑specific staffing thresholds and the risk of inflating particular grade cohorts. The board asked staff to study the ninth‑grade question further and return with a more focused recommendation. Downing also provided two motion templates for the committee to consider after a school‑choice hearing on April 29: either a selective withdrawal from the school‑choice program for 2026‑27 with specified exceptions, or a withdrawal vote tied to enrollment and class‑size standards (staff to correct the draft year language).
Next steps: The committee will hold the statutory school‑choice hearing on April 29, after which members can vote. Staff will finalize lottery logistics, post the application on May 4, and report back on any requested refinements to freshman openings.
