Waltham Schools Plan To Redistrict Elementary Schools

The Waltham Public Schools plan to start work on redistricting the elementary schools later this year.

While work has yet to begin on the plan, Waltham Schools Superintendent Susan Nicholson said redistricting would address concerns of lack of space at the elementary schools and increasing kindergarten enrollment. Redistricting would possibly change which school a student attends.

“We have space issues. The longer answer is I will need some help with redistricting,” Nicholson said.

Nicholson and Mayor Jeanette McCarthy announced the plan at a Wednesday, April 11 meeting for district staff and parents at the

Nicholson said the district will begin the work after the School Committee gives n the next month or two. Nicholson said she would want to have the final plan completed by September of 2013.

Overall, the plan is intended to address the district’s space needs over the next five years, instead of creating of one year solution, Nicholson said. At the , some teachers are cramming conferences and lessons into tighter spaces, she said.

Discussing redistricting will certainly generate some controversy, according to Mayor Jeanette McCarthy.

“It’s not going to be an easy issue,” McCarthy said. “Anytime you want to upset where the kids go to school, believe me, the Canon Lecture Hall [the room where the school committee meets] is going to be full.”

There may be immediate and temporary solutions to the space issue. Nicholson said some Stanley school students could be moved to other schools to alleviate space issues. She, however, said, she needs to further review that possibility.