Several teachers and parents at the May 3 forum urged the board to reconsider portions of the draft educational specifications that call for shared teacher "pods" rather than individual classrooms.

Catherine Monaghan, an elementary teacher, said she "would love to go in‑depth" but emphasized that "having your own room makes a drastic difference" for planning, small‑group instruction and confidential meetings. Tricia Perron, a Sheehan teacher, said staff were asked about "what would be great about a new high school" but not specifically surveyed about pods; she told the forum, "I don't know of a teacher that would think this is a good idea."

Speakers described how individual rooms currently serve multiple purposes during prep time—small‑group instruction, special education pull‑outs, after‑school meetings and assessment makeups—and said shared workrooms could limit those uses. Multiple commenters warned that larger class sizes and fewer teacher‑assigned rooms could make it harder to identify and support students who are struggling.

Consultants and district staff responded that state reimbursement standards and modern building guidelines have changed since Lyman Hall (1950s) and Sheehan (1971) were constructed. A Colliers representative said architects "are going to design in an area for expansion" on site plans and will size utilities and sprinkler lines to permit future additions. Staff reiterated that making every teacher's room a permanent, single‑occupancy classroom would increase building square footage beyond the state's reimbursable limit and place more cost on local taxpayers.

Members of the public asked the board to provide a concrete analysis showing how many classrooms would be required for a model that gives each teacher a private classroom versus the pod approach, and to share that analysis before finalizing ed specs. The board and consultants said that comparative figures and cost options will be part of follow‑up materials and future meetings.