School Committee To Consider School Choice

MANSFIELD, MA — It’s not uncommon for the Mansfield School Committee to opt out of school choice, but that may change this year.

With enrollment on the decline, the committee is taking a hard look at whether or not to accept students from outside Mansfield to enroll. About 12 students in Mansfield attend school in a different public school district not including students at charter, vocational, or private schools.

Assistant Superintendent Ed Donahue has experience in school choice from his time at the Bourne Public Schools. He said the option is more common on Cape Cod and Western Massachusetts, where enrollments are declining.

“We don’t hear ads on the radio to recruit people to come to our schools where do on the Cape,” Superintendent Theresa Murphy said at a recent school committee meeting.

School districts are not allowed to screen students and can only do a lottery if they have more applicants than seats.

The only local schools that take part in school choice are Taunton and Norton. North Attleboro allows staff to enroll their children for a fee.

A vote is expected by the end of the school year.

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