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December 19, 2025
Dear Acton-Boxborough Staff, Families, and Community Members,
I am writing to update you on a School Committee vote last night regarding AB Forward. This marks another significant step in our district’s reorganization process. The Committee voted to remove Options 3v2 and 6 from consideration.
This leaves us with two distinct strategic directions:
Option 4: Continues our current educational model across the district, though neither the Merriam nor McCarthy-Towne Schools would continue in their current form, but would be merged to form a new school community. Conant would be moved to the Parker Damon Building. Option 5v2: Creates larger K-6 schools in Acton, but divides them into "upper" and "lower" schools to maintain a smaller school feel. In this scenario, the Blanchard School continues as a K-6 school.
In addition to the discussion about each of the options, the School Committee is currently considering three different options for enrollment of students:
Minimizing the breadth of disruption by assigning students from the Conant Elementary School to the Parker Damon and Boardwalk Buildings on a space-available basis. Balancing disruption across all schools by having all elementary students participate in a new lottery process. Balancing disruption across schools by moving toward school-based assignments based on residence or neighborhood, as opposed to the current open enrollment system.
I encourage you to learn more about the remaining options on the AB Forward Website.
Next Steps and How to Stay Involved
The School Committee meets again on January 8, 2026. We have scheduled a 75-minute community listening session during this meeting.
Because we expect many speakers, I recommend preparing comments of about 45 seconds. If your comments are longer, please submit them via the AB Forward Public Comment Form. Comments received before 9:00 AM on the morning of the meeting will be published in the packet.
The final vote on elementary school reorganization is scheduled for January 22. You may continue to submit comments through the form until that date. All feedback is reviewed by every committee member and the central administration.
Moving Forward with Hope and Care
We know this process is difficult. However, we hope these decisions will set us up for success for decades to come. I remain committed to transparent communication, thoughtful planning, and caring for all impacted staff, students, and families.
How we talk and listen to each other during this time will shape our path forward and set an example for our children. Please take time to care for yourself. If you or your child needs support, do not hesitate to reach out.
The following resources may help guide conversations with your child:
You can also listen to how different community members think about the challenging work of reorganization through some recent episodes in our podcast series. You will hear from a parent, teacher, psychologist, principal, and our school committee chair. Each shares their own perspective on this work:
You can also find more information on the AB Forward Website.
With respect and deep gratitude for your partnership,
Peter Light
Superintendent of Schools
Meetings of theSchool Committee are open to the public.
Submit a public comment to the steering committee by using this form. | 
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