Frequently Asked Questions

  • 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?

  • 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?

  • 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?

  • Who decides which plan is ultimately approved?

  • What is the current enrollment and capacity of our elementary schools?

  • What are the thoughts on changing the school zones and redistricting? Is that a possibility?

  • What does this mean for Riverdale? Will families who currently attend Riverdale have to travel farther to get to school?

  • 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?

  • Who has the final say on which design and enrollment scenario moves forward to Town Meeting?

  • How are all the choices narrowed down to a preferred design and location?

  • 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?

  • Has the MSBA considered the current high enrollments in the ECEC when they proposed the enrollment numbers for the three options being considered?

  • 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?

  • Can you share the sites that were considered as part of the ECEC school project?

  • If Greenlodge and Oakdale are combined what will become of the existing Greenlodge school? It is a beloved building in the neighborhood.