Second Version of Scenarios Released for Worcester Public Schools Boundary and Quadrant Alignment Project

Major Proposals Aim to Relieve Classroom Over-Capacity, Streamline Student Pathways, and Expand Preschool and Transportation Access 

Consultants from Dillinger Research and Applied Data have presented a second version of scenarios for the Worcester Public Schools Boundary and Quadrant Alignment Project to the Worcester School Committee’s Standing Committee on Operations and Governance in a public meeting on September 16. Many proposals remain the same while others were significantly adjusted.

The realignment project seeks to address school capacity imbalances, create more logical pathways from elementary to middle to high school, expand full-day preschool, and increase school bus transportation access.

Please note:

• No decisions have been made on any of the proposals. 

• A third set of scenarios will be presented at the next Operations and Governance Standing Committee meeting on Tuesday, October 13 at 6:00 PM at Vernon Hill Elementary School, 211 Providence Street. 

• The public is encouraged to provide feedback at public forums now through Saturday, November 7 or by emailing alignment@worcesterschools.net. 

• Final recommendations will be presented to the School Committee in December. 

Changes from Scenario 1 to 2

Please note that all information listed is currently under consideration but no decisions have been made. 

School Assignment Boundary Changes

There were significant changes in school assignment boundaries from Scenario 1 to Scenario 2. Please view the Community Input Mapping Tool to view a map of the latest proposal or view the slide deck from the October 13 presentation. The most notable changes impacted the zones for Tatnuck, West Tatnuck, and May Street elementary schools in the Doherty Quadrant, along with the Plumley Village and Great Brook Valley housing developments.

Additionally, an earlier proposal to move three elementary schools into different quadrants has been reconsidered:

• In Scenario 2, Jacob Hiatt Elementary School will remain in the Doherty Quadrant; it had been proposed to move to the South Quadrant in Scenario 1.

• In Scenario 2, Columbus Park Elementary School will remain in the South Quadrant; it had been proposed to move to the Doherty Quadrant in Scenario 1.

• In Scenario 2, Belmont Elementary School will remain in the North Quadrant; it had been proposed to move to the Burncoat Quadrant in Scenario 1.

Worcester Arts Magnet Remains, New Greendale Elementary 

A plan in Scenario 1 to move Worcester Arts Magnet School into the current Francis McGrath School building has been removed from Scenario 2 as a result of community input and a re-assessment of the Francis McGrath space to accommodate an arts magnet program. The original intent behind the plan was to provide more neighborhood-based elementary school seats in the Burncoat Quadrant as a result of a projected increase in the school-age population.

Instead, Scenario 2 proposes that the current Greendale Head Start building would be modified into a grade PreK-6 elementary school with two classes per grade. This move would provide additional elementary space to accommodate future housing impacts in the area.

The Head Start program that is currently in the Greendale building is being considered for a relocation to the building that houses the University Park Campus School in the South Quadrant. Community members and administrators from UPCS have held discussions about potentially merging the school with nearby Claremont Academy. It is important to underscore that no decisions have been made.

Revised Start and End Time Scenario

By moving to a three-tier start- and end-time model, WPS could provide expanded school bus transportation to students. The three-tier plan was revised as a result of community feedback.

It is important to note that some elementary schools that offer special education hubs, specialized programs, and other schools may fall into a different category than listed above. Consultants and WPS are continuing to conduct a school-by-school analysis on this scenario with more information to be released publicly in the near future.

Expanding Grade 6 at Worcester East Middle School

Scenario 2 moves grade 6 students from Rice Square, Grafton Street, and City View elementary schools to Worcester East Middle School due to space constraints at the elementary schools. Scenario 1 only included Rice Square and Grafton Street. Rice Square already began enrolling its grade 6 students at Worcester East Middle last year.

Proportional Lottery System for Middle and High School Specialized Programs

Scenario 2 proposes a quadrant-based proportional lottery system for admission to specialized middle- and high-school programs, including Chapter 74 career technical education programs at comprehensive high schools (Doherty, North and South), Goddard Scholars Academy (at Sullivan Middle and South High), Hanover Insurance Academy for the Arts (at Burncoat Middle and Burncoat High) and the Burncoat Arts Magnet Program (at Burncoat Middle and Burncoat High). 

This scenario would mirror the lottery admissions system already in use at Worcester Technical High School, which admits students in a manner that is proportional to middle school population. This proposal would not change the admissions lottery system for Worcester Technical High School.

Unchanged from Scenario 1

The following proposals remain unchanged from Scenario 1:

• The district would create at least one preschool classroom in every elementary school over multiple years as funding sources become available.

• School-to-school pathways remain logical. All students in all elementary schools will progress to the same middle schools, and all students in all middle schools will move to the same high schools unless families choose other options.

  
  

• Jacob Hiatt Elementary would become a neighborhood-based admission school and no longer be a citywide “magnet” based admission school. Additionally, the names of several schools will be updated to remove obsolete terms like “community” or “magnet” where those programs are no longer active, including Jacob Hiatt.

  
  

• 120 Granite Street, which currently houses the Gerald Creamer Center (GCC), would become a neighborhood-based Pre-K-6 elementary school to address overcrowding at nearby Rice Square and Grafton Street elementary schools. GCC, an alternative high school, would relocate to the Fanning Building on Chatham Street.

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