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.