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School Committee discusses school choice openings and MSBA HVAC/roofing timeline
Summary
School leaders reviewed roughly 50 school choice openings and recommended adding a few seats to middle and high school transitions; the committee also outlined an MSBA-led study of Bromfield’s roof and HVAC with an end-of-June target for the study phase ahead of fall Town Meeting funding requests.
The Harvard School Committee on March 23 heard staff recommendations on school choice openings for 2026–27 and received an update on an MSBA-accelerated repair process for Bromfield High School’s HVAC and roof systems.
Superintendent Dr. Linda Dwight said there are currently about 50 school choice openings districtwide and proposed adding two seats at the 6→7 transition and two seats at the 8→9 transition to better utilize a $100,000 allocation and to prepare for anticipated class sizes. She noted that school choice began in the district more than 15 years ago to add diversity and to fill classes with lower enrollment. Committee members asked about outreach and the lottery process; Dr. Dwight described the process: public notice in the newspaper, online applications, sibling priority, and subsequent family contact if extra spots remain. Members also flagged transportation limitations and the district noted that lower staff levels will constrain the number of openings.
On facilities, Dr. Dwight reported that the district met with the Massachusetts School Building Authority and has defined a project team and schedule for an accelerated repair application. The first phase will study the roof and HVAC with attention to heat-pump replacements that would add cooling as well as heating. The team aims to complete the study phase by the end of June so the project can be reviewed by the board in August and, if approved, included in a town funding request at the fall Town Meeting. Ms. Abigail Besse noted that the district will produce at least three proposals — including ground-source geothermal and heat-pump options — and that the town will have 90 days after MSBA approval to act.
There was no public comment recorded during the meeting. The committee went on to approve multiple routine motions later in the agenda, including budget and policy items.
