Big changes coming to AB schools as community vetting of school reorganization scenarios gets underway
At the October 9 School Committee meeting, member Adam Klein provided an update on the ongoing work of the ABForward Steering Committee, a group that will be making recommendations to the School Committee in January regarding cost-saving, structural changes to the District’s elementary schools.
Klein reported that the Steering Committee is already receiving feedback from members of the public on the nine reorganization scenarios that were put into the public domain for the first time a few weeks ago. “We are about to go into a very busy phase of collecting information from many stakeholder groups with thirty-two focus groups planned as well as three public listening sections on October 21, 27 and 30, and a number of other engagements,” Klein said.
Superintendent of Schools Peter Light told the School Committee that “the process was intentionally designed so our consultant, District Management Group, could share an overview of restructuring options with the community, but before the Steering Committee starts to vet options, we’re going to invite community feedback to get initial reactions for all scenarios so the Steering Committee can look at what our community is telling us.”
Light reported that he has also reached out to Hanover Research, a nationally recognized organization, to develop a set of resources that will help clarify the pros and cons of the various scenarios and their impact on stakeholder groups. Hanover Research is scheduled to present their findings to the ABForward Steering Committee at their November 18 in-person public meeting.
Light told the School Committee at their meeting on October 9 that the District “is not in this situation because we decided we wanted to change how the District operates. We are perfectly designed right now for the outcomes we get; however, we are resource-constrained and have been for multiple years now, so while our decisions need to be grounded in what’s best for students, families and educators, we also need to understand that finances are a boundary. That’s the reality, but within those boundaries we need to be prioritizing students, families and educators in what we know is best for our District.”
School Committee member Yanxin Schmidt, who is also a member of the ABForward Steering Committee, urged her School Committee colleagues to consider that “even though every option carries with it the loss of the environment and the community we know and is not something we want to do but is something we have to do, I believe that with care and thoughtful process, something very, very good can come out of this. This could be a great opportunity to build a new AB.”
The School Committee will be hosting a public Tri-Board Workshop with the Acton and Boxborough Select Boards and Finance Committees on Wednesday, October 22 to discuss budget and related challenges.
Two students and a coach receive awards
Acton-Boxborough High School students Julia Zhou and Daniel Cai were awarded the 2025 Massachusetts Association of School Superintendents (M.A.S.S.) Certificate of Academic Excellence at the October 9 School Committee meeting with Superintendent of Schools Peter Light presiding.
The annual award is given by local school districts across the Commonwealth to two high school students with a record of academic excellence and a demonstrated commitment to community service and personal growth.
Zhou was recognized for her participation in MIT’s PRIMES Program which affords gifted high school students the opportunity to work on individual and group research projects in mathematics and review mathematics research papers under the guidance of academic mentors. An accomplished violinist and pianist, Zhou won the 2025 Student Concerto Competition at the Groton Hill Music Center, is a regular contributor to the high school’s student-run magazine, Window Seat, and volunteers to teach kids who want to learn computer programming to code using Java and Python.
Cai was recognized for excellence in leadership and civic engagement. Cai has served in leadership roles on AB’s Science Olympiad and the high school’s Varsity Tennis Team and is co-president of the AB Math Competition (ABMC). Cai also does public relations work for the political action committee, Youth for Ranked Choice Voting, as well as Acadia University’s Math Camp and the Acton-Boxborough Musical Talent Association.
Light announced that the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association (M.I.A.A.) has named Coach Gretchen Turner the 2024-25 girls swim and dive coach of the year. Turner, who in 2002 led the AB Girls Swim and Dive Team to their first Division 1 State Championship since 1998, took over as head coach from her mentor, the late Jeff Johnson, who passed in February, 2019. The pool was officially named in Johnson’s honor in June 2023.
School district phasing in a new, open-source social studies curriculum
A new open-source, free social studies curriculum called Investigating History is being rolled out in phases in Acton-Boxborough general education classrooms in grades 5-6 and in grade 7 classrooms at the Junior High. The School Committee got a glimpse of the new curriculum at its October 9 business meeting, with Gabby Abrams, the district’s assistant superintendent for teaching and learning, presenting along with Merriam elementary educator, Kate Shiebler, and Conant Elementary school principal, Tricia O’Reilly.
Shiebler shared that the curriculum uses an “inquiry-based approach which grounds learning about the past in current events. Students engage in units of study by looking at a variety of texts from different perspectives and work sometimes alone and other times together to answer questions.” Shiebler noted that “the online resources make it easier for educators to modify vocabulary, adjust reading levels, and highlight key information to enable all students to access upper-level content and, unlike textbooks, materials can be more easily updated as new breakthroughs come to light. A lot of the leg work is done for us. It’s easy to adjust based on students’ needs, even in the moment. The kids find it really engaging.”
The rollout is tied to goal one of the District’s Improvement Plan for 2025-26 which lays out four strategies to strengthen high quality instruction for all students in general education classrooms, one of which is to ensure consistent implementation of high-quality instructional materials that are research-based, user friendly for educators, coherent across grade levels, and that support educators’ ability to flexibly personalize instruction to meet the diverse needs of the students in their classrooms.
The curriculum, which has been adopted by over 100 Massachusetts’ school districts, aligns with the state’s history and social studies standards and is endorsed by the Massachusetts Department of Education.
Abrams reported to the School Committee that all grade 6 educators are using Investigating History in their classrooms this year while grade 5 educators have chosen to continue to pilot the curriculum for a second year. Grade 7 educators are currently in the training phase. The District is considering expanding implementation of Investigating History in future years to grades 3 and 4.
Special Education goals and priorities presented
Acton-Boxborough Special Education Parent Advisory Council (SEPAC) Board members Amanda Bailey and Kristin O’Neil presented the group’s 2025-26 goals and priorities at the School Committee’s October 9 business meeting.
Bailey reported that priority areas include strengthening the AB SEPAC’s social media presence, expanding their outreach to include the District’s preschool program, and broadening representation on committees to ensure that the perspectives and needs of students with disabilities inform District policies and decision-making.
O’Neil announced that the Federation of Children with Special Needs, a non-profit organization that collaborates with the Massachusetts Department of Education, has rolled out a set of free, ongoing, online workshops through MassPAC that will make it easier for families to access information on basic rights, evaluations, social emotional learning, bullying, post-secondary transition planning, and more.
Massachusetts General Law requires that every public school district establish a SEPAC to partner with families and their school district on matters pertinent to special education.
Racist and antisemitic vandalism under investigation at the high school
Acton-Boxborough High School is investigating two incidents involving racist and antisemitic vandalism in two boys’ bathrooms. In an October 9 letter to Acton-Boxborough High School students and families, Principal Joanie Dean shared that the vandalism, first reported by students on October 7, included the n-word, a swastika, and profanity. Two days later, a school administrator found another swastika in one of the same bathrooms. Superintendent of Schools Peter Light informed the entire school community of the incident and the District’s response via a letter sent on October 9. “This is absolutely unacceptable behavior that does not reflect our values as a school district,” Light wrote.
Light told the School Committee at their October 9 business meeting that the High School has reported the incidents to the Acton police, engaged the school’s crisis team to identify and support vulnerable populations in the school, and that he has communicated with the rabbi of the local synagogue in Acton. “We have protocols in place for responding to incidents and have sent a link to families so that the school community knows what to expect from our schools as we work through incidents like these when they occur.”
Diane Baum is the Acton Exchange School Committee beat reporter.
