Frequently Asked Questions
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I don’t have children who will attend any of the three schools that are potentially involved in the Oakdale project so why does this matter to me?
Dedham is home to the first public school in the country supported exclusively by tax dollars. For generations, Dedham citizens have invested in and supported their students.
Over the past two decades, that commitment has resulted in the reconstruction of Dedham Middle School, Avery Elementary School, and the Curran Early Childhood Education Center.
Replacement or Reconstruction of the Oakdale School – identified by the state as the Dedham school most in need of significant repair or replacement -- is the next step in the much-needed rehabilitation of school buildings constructed at the beginning of the last century.
The School Department Master Plan, completed in 2020, also identified replacement of the 100-year-old Riverdale Elementary School and 70-year-old Greenlodge Elementary School as a priority.
As a whole, the community can take pride in working to ensure a more equitable distribution of educational resources across the town. This process will also provide a new school that could allow for a more even distribution of students with higher needs who are unable to attend one of the older schools due to accessibility.
12/12/2022
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The current High School has not been at capacity for a long time. Has there been any discussion about putting all four elementary schools in the high school building and building a new High School?
While this is an interesting solution it is not a viable one. Many high school classrooms have been converted into offices for different town departments.
Also, the High School deficiencies are not serious enough to qualify for MSBA funding and any new High School would be substantially smaller than the existing school.
12/12/2022
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Is there a preference on one of the two consolidation options over the other? Riverdale and Oakdale because Riverdale is a smaller school or Greenlodge and Oakdale due to proximity?
There is not a preference at this time. Once the designer is brought on board, they will study all the potential sites, designs, layouts, enrollments, etc. and the SBRC and School Committee will decide based on what is best for the students and the Town. There will be many public forum discussions and the two committees, design team, and OPM will take all the feedback into account when making a final recommendation decision.
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Who decides which plan is ultimately approved?
The SBRC will have the final vote on which site and design is recommended to Town Meeting for funding. The School Committee will have the final vote on the enrollment for the new school.
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What is the current enrollment and capacity of our elementary schools?
While there are no policies in place that dictate class sizes in Dedham, we have typically tried to maintain Gr.K-5 classes as 23 or smaller. In some buildings (Oakdale and Riverdale in particular) some particular classrooms in older parts of the building are too small to include this many students.
By moving certain classes with larger enrollments to larger rooms, we can usually accommodate these bulges in a few grades. Using those metrics, our current theoretical maximum building capacities would be as follows:
Avery - 15 classrooms + 2 smaller sub-separate classrooms = 355 students
Greenlodge - 15 classrooms + 2 smaller sub-separate classrooms = 355 students
Oakdale - 15 classrooms = 345 students
Riverdale - 10 classrooms = 230 students
12/12/2022
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What are the thoughts on changing the school zones and redistricting? Is that a possibility?
Current school zones may be redistricted based upon location of and enrollment in the preferred option. If redistricting is required, the School Committee, with the help of a redistricting consultant, will look at all the options available to ensure equitable education to all students.
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What does this mean for Riverdale? Will families who currently attend Riverdale have to travel farther to get to school?
That all will depend on the ultimate location and enrollment of the new school. It is possible students could be traveling further to go to the new school. Riverdale is also one of the several site locations that will be considered for the project.
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Does Dedham Public Schools have a projection for student populations in the future? Is there a projection for each school population in 5 years? 10 years?
There is variability and fluctuation because families are more mobile when their children are under 5 years old.
The town does track birth rates, among other demographics, and uses that information to help predict future enrollments. HERE is the current NESDEC (New England School Development Council) enrollment projection report for the Dedham Public Schools for the next 10 years. NESDEC is a well known organization that has been providing these projections for MA school districts for many years, and their projections indicate a flat or slightly increasing district enrollment over the next 10 years.
12/12/2022
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Who has the final say on which design and enrollment scenario moves forward to Town Meeting?
The SBRC will make the final recommendation on design and site; the School Committee will make the final decision on the enrollment. Of course, both Committees will elicit and consider public feedback throughout the process.
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How are all the choices narrowed down to a preferred design and location?
Once the designer is on board, they will evaluate all the proposed site locations based on a number of criteria including location, size, topography, traffic, walkability, etc. At the same time, the School Committee, with help from a redistricting consultant, will be evaluating the pros and cons of the various enrollment options.
Both committees will hold community meetings throughout the process to receive feedback. Eventually, the School Committee will vote on the preferred enrollment while the SBRC will vote on the preferred site and design plan.
12/12/2022
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What is the timeline for the project and when it goes to a Town Meeting vote are we voting on which of the three options we prefer, or will that have already been decided?
The SBRC in conjunction with the School Committee will decide on enrollment and project site by July 2023.
The design team will then work on providing a schematic design for the proposed school based on the selected site and enrollment and bring this design along with a total project budget to a Town Meeting vote in 2024.
Construction would potentially start in early Spring 2025.
12/12/2022
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Has the MSBA considered the current high enrollments in the ECEC when they proposed the enrollment numbers for the three options being considered?
The ECEC was built for a 200-student capacity and it’s currently accommodating 225 students, so this is definitely a concern.
Also, the MSBA enrollment options are developed using a formula that analyzes a multitude of factors including birth rates, historic enrollment data, and current populations to name a few.
Once the Designer has been brought on board for the project the team will review all options for enrollments and consolidation in more depth to ensure Dedham builds an appropriately sized school for today and the future.
The MSBA has provided the incentive for consolidation by agreeing to fund a consolidated school solution with capacity flexibility.
12/12/2022
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If the Town chooses to consolidate schools how many classrooms will there be per grade in the new school? And how many students per classroom?
As a rule of thumb the district allows up to 23 students maximum per classroom for elementary school classes. Currently, over the four elementary schools the class size varies from school to school and from grade to grade.
12/12/2022
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Can you share the sites that were considered as part of the ECEC school project?
Yes, there is a PowerPoint presentation that was provided by Dore & Whittier during the ECEC project feasibility study. This shows 14 various building options over various locations, this PowerPoint can be found on the Oakdale Project webpage under the References & Resources page.
12/12/2022
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If Greenlodge and Oakdale are combined what will become of the existing Greenlodge school? It is a beloved building in the neighborhood.
There has not been any decision on what to do with the existing buildings at this time. Jurisdiction over a vacant school lies with the School Committee. Historically, when the School Committee reverts a building to the Town, the Select Board has appointed committees for the specific purpose of determining the future of a former school property.
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