School Department announces new elementary districts
Published on December 15th, 1999
STONEHAM, MA - Superintendent of Schools Joseph Connelly will announce the school department's elementary school redistricting plan this week.
The plan, according to Connelly, divides the town along main streets, including Main Street, Montvale Avenue, Franklin Street and Spring Street, to name a few. Connelly said he will have color maps clearly indicating the new, permanent districts at the 7:30 p.m., Dec. 15, School Committee meeting.
"The idea was to divide the town so the schools will have an equal number of students," Connelly said.
After the plan is announced the school department will hold a series of public meetings and consult with school PTOs to garner public input about the redistricting. Then the School Committee will vote on the plan at the final January meeting.
In Sept. 2000 children who fall within the new South School District will attend the new South School. The School Building Committee has said the Main Street school will be ready.
Other students will enter their "correct and permanent districts," as Connelly described, as the various neighborhood schools are built. The new Central School is scheduled for construction next, followed by Colonial Park and Robin Hood.
Around 675 Students from neighborhoods around town are jammed into Central School because the Colonial Park and Robin Hood buildings are too small to house every child in the respective neighborhoods. After the Stoneham school building project is complete every neighborhood will have a new school capable of educating approximately 350 students.
As each new school opens the new districts will take effect for the children in those neighborhoods.
Most readers will receive this edition after Dec. 15, but Nancy Donahue will provide further coverage from the meeting in the Dec. 22 Stoneham Independent.
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