School Choice Number Set By School Committee

More details on School Choice in Westford Schools next year took shape during Monday night’s School Committee meeting with the number of out-of-district students coming now set at a maximum of 22 following the board’s split 4-3 decision.

The reduced number was proposed by Superintendent Bill Olsen and became the main focal point between the arguments that School Choice students were necessary sources of income for the embattled district budget and that out of town students would actually bring more cost than benefit.

One of the strongest voices against the motion on was School Committee member Erica Kohl, who reiterated her concerns from the earlier and broader debate over the program regarding the view that the program would lose the district money rather than acting as an economic boon.

While Olsen replied to one of Kohl’s main concerns regarding out-of-town Special Education children, and Kohl was pleased with what she saw as a compromise on the issue, the School Committee member still had concerns with the plan as a whole.

“We’ve had this discussion, there’s fiscal risks association with this program, and we passed a budget explicitly asking whether we’d need School Choice and the answer was no,” said Kohl.

On the other side of the debate, School Committee member Angela Harkness relayed concerns she had been hearing from local people regarding the issue and why the number should actually be higher, pending Olsen’s discretion.

“I’ve had people talk to me about school choice and why we aren’t filling those slots. Because of the monetary straits we’re in, I feel that the school system can handle whatever comes its way,” said Harkness. “Erica’s concerns notwithstanding, we need to balance that against out fiscal constraints and In the end I think we need a higher number.”

Issues over the final number were also drawn by School Committee member Arthur Benoit, who noted that it would technically be skewed somewhat off the bat by teachers in the district that live outside of town and bring their children as students in the district as part of the teachers’ collective bargaining agreement.

A potential amendment to the number, limiting it to students in grades K-8 to prevent overcrowding at Westford Academy was withdrawn and the motion brought forth by outgoing chairman David Keele would allow Olsen to admit up to 22 out-of-town students at his discretion throughout all grades.

Voting on the issue was drawn on the same lines as the Committee’s earlier vote on whether to continue School Choice next year at all, with School Committee members Erica Kohl, Margaret Murray and vice chairwoman Judy Culver opposing while the other members supported the measure.

(Correction, 9:25 a.m - in Harkness'es quote, "straights" was replaced with "straits")