Littleton School Committee Unanimously Endorses New Shaker Lane Elementary School

LITTLETON — September 11, 2025 — Littleton School Committee unanimously endorses new Shaker Lane Elementary School ahead of October and November votes. The committee, meeting September 11 for its first session of the 2025-2026 school year, voted 5-0 to formally back construction of a replacement Shaker Lane school, with Superintendent Kelly Clinchy warning that the 35,000-square-foot undersized building is past its life expectancy and that a no vote would trigger emergency code upgrades costing homeowners roughly $125 per month per year against the new school's projected $60 per month. An $8.8 million increase in the Massachusetts School Building Authority reimbursement brought total state grant funding to $38.2 million, supporting an approximately $15.7 million, 20-year bond. The committee also unanimously appointed Frederick Kingsley to its designated Finance Committee seat and approved a Model UN Club trip to Washington, D.C., for February 2026. Chair Justin McCarthy opened the meeting with a prepared apology for a district statement on political violence issued the previous day, acknowledging it "was incomplete and inconsiderate in its content," drawing calls from three public commenters for a follow-up email to the full community from Clinchy. Special Town Meeting is set for October 28, with a debt exclusion ballot vote on November 1.