WEST SPRINGFIELD — The town of West Springfield is forming an advisory group centered around overall census data in the district and future projections for school-specific enrollment.
The committee, dubbed the West Springfield Enrollment Advisory Group, will focus on “enhancing transparency and providing families with the information they need to make informed decisions about their children’s education.”
“We believe that every child has the potential to succeed, and it starts with clear communication,” Mayor William Reichelt said in a statement. “By connecting the Town Council, School Committee and interested community members, we can better understand the needs of all stakeholders and ensure that all groups feel supported every step of the way.”
Reichelt said during the Jan. 14 School Committee that he remembers pitching the idea of a committee to the City Council in the spring last year.
At that time, the council approved the proposal by the School Committee and Reichelt to enter a “statement of interest” with the Massachusetts School Building Authority to combine John Ashley School with the John R. Fausey Elementary into a new elementary school that serves pre-K through grade 5.
Reichelt said he recently regenerated those conversations to form the committee after the MSBA selected the West Springfield Public Schools district to move into the next phase of the application process for the elementary school project.
“What I’d like to see is a collaborative venture with the council,” Reichelt said to the School Committee, regarding the new enrollment committee.
Reichelt added that he wants to see the committee have a limit of nine members, including two people from council, two from School Committee and the rest composed of members from the public.
He argued that this is the ideal time to pursue this committee because of what is going on at the local and national level.
“A lot of things have changed since we did this ourselves as the Population Committee,” Reichelt said. “We continue to have declining enrollment as we witnessed in the newest kindergarten class, [and] we have a new president who has been very vocal about what migration and refugee status will be in this country.”
In the announcement to the public, the town said that the Enrollment Advisory Committee “will be actively listening to families and advising the district as to how to meet the diverse needs in the community.”
The committee will accomplish this goal through public meetings, local partnerships and parent and teacher forums.
“This approach reflects a deep commitment to not just examining enrollment numbers, but to ensuring that each student feels welcomed, valued, and set up for success in their academic journey,” said Brian Griffin, town councilor and chair of this committee.
The town said the group will be tasked with providing recommendations to the mayor and superintendent regarding future enrollment projections and maintaining “educational excellence” in the school district.
Reichelt said during the Jan. 14 School Committee meeting that members will be selected to the advisory committee “soon.”
“This is about fostering an ongoing relationship between our team and the community,” he said.
