Littleton School Committee Debates MCAS Repeal, Reviews Enrollment Dip and School Improvement Goals

LITTLETON — October 10, 2024 — Littleton School Committee members expressed broad personal support Thursday for Massachusetts ballot Question 2, which would eliminate MCAS as a high school graduation requirement, while reviewing enrollment data showing the district's total population fell 50 students to 1,654 this year. Chair Justin McCarthy, Member Elaine Magnuson, and Member Stacy Samaras each said they would personally vote yes on the November 5 measure, citing the roughly 700 students statewide who annually fail to receive a diploma due solely to MCAS non-passage; Magnuson called the test "a very arbitrary measure" of post-graduate capability. Director of Student Services Kelly Hunt reported resident enrollment at 1,554 and school choice at 100, with high school school choice outpacing the lower grades as rising elementary enrollment limits available seats. All four building principals presented two-goal school improvement priorities, with Russell Street and Shaker Lane launching a first-year implementation of the Wit and Wisdom literacy curriculum and the high school targeting a documented MTSS framework ahead of a May 2026 NEASC accreditation visit. Director of Student Services Lynn Snow briefed the committee on expanded federal Title IX regulations in effect since August 1, 2024, with a new district policy to come at a subsequent meeting; Russell Street's receipt of a $40,000 grant to create a therapeutic space was also noted.