Breaking News: School Choice Accepted

School Committee members approved school choice for the next school year by a 4-1 vote.

They supported Superintendent of Schools Jay Cummings’ recommendation to allow 25 students, with five students each in grades 1, 4 and 8 and ten positions in grade 10.

These grades were chosen because there was room to add students at these levels without exceeding recommended class size, Cummings said.

Committee member Daryl Rynning cast the sole vote against school choice. She said she was concerned about adding school choice in a year with “a lot of major changes,’’ including a new high school and a reconfiguration of grade structures.

“I’m wondering if we should settle down a year’’ before making more changes, she said.

Cummings said that approving school choice would allow him to return positions that were reduced from next year’s budget, in particular a remedial math position for grades two to six that he said would be important to maintain.

Accepting 25 school choice students would bring in $125,000 to the district. The state pays $5,000 per student.

School choice students must provide their own transportation. Once a school choice student is accepted, the district must keep that student through graduation.

 A standing room only crowd attended the public hearing at , held before the regular meeting where the vote was held.

Resident Scott Browne said he was “resentful’’ as a taxpayer that the buildings the town spent its money on would be used by students from out of town.

Allowing out-of-town students into Grafton “may not be in the best interest of Grafton,’’ he said, because these students could be disruptive.

Town resident Carolyn Breault said she moved to Grafton for the community, small-town atmosphere. Allowing out-of-town students is taking a “gamble with my kids’ education.’’

Selectman John Dowling said he has heard a lot of positive feedback about school choice. The extra money, he said, would allow some reduced positions and programs to be returned to the budget.

Committee member Donna Stock said she was voting in favor of school choice because of her concerns about the loss of positions in the current budget.

Cummings said he asked area school superintendents who accept school choice students whether the added students had a negative impact on the schools.

He said that every superintendent he spoke to had a positive reaction.

Committee member Teri Turgeon said she would like to attract the 37 students from Grafton who leave the district to return. She said she would like to find out why they are leaving the district.