OVERVIEW
Over the past several years, the School Committee and administration have identified and begun examining several challenges and opportunities related to the most effective use of our school buildings in order to meet the needs of our staff, students, and families. We agree that the time has come to address these issues in a thoughtful, data-driven way, with input from the community, in order to chart a course forward – and to navigate the future together.
In partnership with the School Committee, the administration in September 2024 announced a series of proposed plans and options for consideration. Throughout the fall, the district hosted 10 community forums to share ideas and gather questions and feedback. More than XXX students, parents, staff, and town residents attended the forums to offer their perspectives.
We also convened a special Building Needs Task Force to review data, consider input gathered throughout the community engagement process, and present a set of recommendations to the School Committee.
In October 2024, the district engaged the services of the New England School Development Council (NESDEC) to conduct an analysis of enrollment projections, facilities use, and other considerations, and to present a report that includes a series of options for consideration. We expect to receive a draft of the NESDEC report in February/March 2025.
BACKGROUND
Here is a bit of background about some of the key challenges and opportunities before us:
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Early childhood education: We believe the School Department can help address affordable child care through a preschool expansion, offering free universal full-day preschool for 3- and 4-year-olds, to supplement the existing private preschool options. Achieving this vision will require a great deal of planning. An urgent priority is space – an opportunity to identify the best location for expanding our preschool.
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Declining enrollment: In the past five years alone, our student population has declined by more than 13% — from 3,351 to 2,904. This is not a new trend. The past 25 years indicates a steady decline, not unlike the trends across the Cape. As the district serves fewer students, some of our buildings become under-utilized. That presents significant opportunities – in fact, a need – to better align the use of our facilities with the student populations we currently serve and expect to serve in the years ahead.
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Aging school buildings: Five out of our seven school buildings were built before 1963, and some require significant investment for maintenance, repairs and modernization in order to serve as effective learning environments. There are a number of items that need to be addressed in all of our schools, many of which will be included in our 10-year Capital Plan. However, it is clear there is one school building in need of a much more extensive renovation, and that is our beloved and historically prominent Lawrence School. As we engage in conversations about the most efficient use of our facilities, in the context of the other two considerations outlined above, it is important to explore all of our options, including reducing the number of buildings that remain online.
PROPOSED PLANS
The administration presented the following proposed plans and options for consideration:
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Convert the Teaticket building into an Early Learning Center, serving students in Preschool (ages 3 and 4). The School Committee voted that this recommendation, if approved, would take effect no earlier than the 2026-2027 school year.
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Operate three elementary schools – East Falmouth (merged with Teaticket school community), Mullen-Hall, and North Falmouth – all starting with Kindergarten. The School Committee voted that this recommendation, if approved, would take effect no earlier than the 2026-2027 school year.
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Plan for taking the Morse Pond building off-line as a school, to be repurposed by the Town for their needs.
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Reconfigure the grade structure for schools serving Grades 5 – 8.
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Draft a proposal to submit to the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA) for a major renovation of Lawrence School. The school committee voted to submit a proposal to MSBA.