The Town of Braintree School Committee opened a public hearing on Monday, March 3, to consider redistricting and potential school consolidations after Superintendent Mr. Lee presented options developed with consultant Sanborn.

The hearing at K Hall Auditorium drew dozens of residents and scores of public comments opposing closures of neighborhood schools, especially Ross Elementary, while some parents and educators supported consolidations that Sanborn and school staff say would reduce inequities in class size and ease long-term facility planning.

The committee launched the process after consultants provided several scenarios. Superintendent Mr. Lee described three options the committee identified for closer study: option 1b (no school closures; townwide redistricting), option 2c (close Highlands and Ross; reopen Old South and partially redistrict north and south), and option 3 (close Highlands, reuse Old South and redistrict townwide). Mr. Lee said the district is early in budget planning for fiscal 2026 and that the school department’s maintenance-of-effort level services budget is projected at $83,100,000 while projected town funding is about $82,300,000, leaving an approximate operational gap of $800,000.

Why it matters: the choices under consideration affect student assignment, transportation, special education services and the condition and future use of school buildings. Parents, staff and advocates said closures would disproportionately affect East Braintree and Title I students and urged the committee to prioritize safety, long-term planning and equity.

Superintendent presentation and financial figures

Mr. Lee summarized Sanborn’s scenarios and a rubric the district used to weigh priorities such as financial sustainability, the facilities report, minimizing student movement, using Old South, preserving separate special spaces (art, music, physical education) and avoiding splitting elementary cohorts between middle schools. He said option 2c is the only scenario that the district projects would yield operating savings: roughly $520,000 to $595,000 annually. Those savings, he said, would come from eliminating an administrative team (a principal and administrative assistant), a school nurse, reductions in support staff (crossing guards, supervisory aides and paraprofessionals), eliminating two to three classroom sections and roughly $100,000 in facility savings from closing a school, offset by an estimated $30,000 in new transportation costs.

Mr. Lee also told the committee that the district’s kindergarten-through-fourth-grade enrollment has declined by about 400 students over the past 10 years. He warned that closing a school could trigger payback obligations to the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA); he said the district received preliminary figures indicating that leaving Old South closed could require a payback of about $450,000 and that a recent roof project at Highlands could carry a payback near $570,000, but he emphasized that “exact amounts and payback specifics are to be determined in consultation with the MSBA.”

Committee members and staff reactions

Dr. Horak, a school committee member, framed the issue as fiscal: “We have a clear math problem,” he said, and urged the committee to pursue long-term fiscal stability while protecting programs. Mayor Joyce said the town’s reserves are limited and that the committee must weigh tradeoffs: “I would love to have more resources to put towards the schools, but our free cash is very low,” she said, adding that the town and schools will need to prioritize and may not be able to buy more time.

Several committee members said they want more detailed, confirmatory data before deciding whether closures are necessary. Multiple members and speakers asked staff to provide clearer estimates of personnel reductions, transportation costs, facility maintenance for any vacant buildings and the MSBA payback terms if a closed site is not reused.

Public comment: neighborhoods, equity and facility safety

More than three dozen members of the public spoke during the public hearing. Many Ross Elementary parents, staff and students urged the committee to keep that walking neighborhood school open. Liz Kelly, a parent and lifelong Braintree resident, said, “Keep Ross open.” Student speakers echoed that appeal: 4th grader Mikayla Kennedy said, “So do not close our school.”

Speakers from East Braintree and community advocates emphasized equity and neighborhood impacts. The East Braintree district counselor highlighted that Ross serves a high proportion of nonwhite students, students with disabilities and English learners and warned that closing the area’s only neighborhood school could harm community revitalization and local businesses.

Other residents urged use of Old South where feasible and suggested alternatives to closure, including creating a special education stabilization fund or pursuing administrative or facilities consolidations that would not shutter neighborhood schools. Peter Morin urged use of a stabilization account for special education spikes, saying, “You don't have to close any school to close the gap,” and asked the committee to consider that option before permanent closures.

Concerns about specific buildings surfaced repeatedly. Several speakers and committee members raised the poor condition at Hollis School, citing asbestos and prior failures in the building’s systems. Others argued that closing Highlands — which some speakers described as an older building with known hazards — would expose students to risks unless clear remediation plans are in place.

Formal actions recorded at the meeting

The committee made three procedural motions during the session: a motion to open the public hearing (moved by Dr. Horak; seconded by Ms. Tuffy; vote: unanimous), a motion to close the public hearing (moved by Dr. Horak; seconded by Ms. Tuffy; vote: unanimous) and a motion to adjourn (moved by Dr. Horak; seconded by Ms. Tuffy; outcome: approved). No votes were taken on school closures, redistricting plans or budget changes at this meeting.

What’s next

The committee said it will continue meetings and follow-up work; the chair said the school committee expects to take a vote by the end of the month. Staff and the consultant were asked to provide additional financial detail, MSBA payback clarifications, transportation cost estimates and more granular plans for special education, staffing and day-two operations if consolidations proceed.

Voices on both sides of the issue told the committee they want careful planning. Parents and neighborhood residents urged the committee to prioritize program continuity and community stability; some teachers and parents said they would accept a school closure if it demonstrably secured the system’s long-term fiscal health and reduced inequities in class sizes.

The School Committee’s actions at this meeting were procedural; it did not adopt or reject any of Sanborn’s options. The public record from March 3 establishes the key financial assumptions, the three options under further review, community concerns about equity and safety, and the committee’s stated timeline for a final vote.