Assistant Superintendent Dr. Erin Perkins and Lincoln Hancock Community School Principal Janet Loftus presented a proposal for the re-opening of the Amelio Della Chiesa Early Childhood Center in September 2026. The proposal shared with School Committee is to add Pre-Kindergarten classrooms for neighborhood students: three half-day Integrated classrooms and two full-day Integrated classrooms. The CPPI Needs Assessment identified full-day Pre-Kindergarten as a priority for 44% of families responding.There are currently 200 students on the waiting list for Pre-Kindergarten.
In addition, six Kindergarten classrooms would move from Lincoln Hancock to Della Chiesa ECC, along with the Transitional Kindergarten class that was moved to Atherton Hough for this school year due to space constraints at Lincoln Hancock. The Della Chiesa ECC floor plans were shared with School Committee and individual spaces for administrators, related services such as OT, PT, and Speech were identified.
Principal Janet Loftus discussed the concerns about the physical learning environment at Lincoln Hancock, due to the building’s design and construction in the early 1970s with open classroom concept. Many classrooms do not have walls that go to the ceiling and only 8 of 30 homerooms have doors. Spaces for Special Education and English Learners are fit in between classes and are often not private spaces.
With the six Kindergarten classes moved to the Della Chiesa ECC building, homerooms could be re-organized by grade level and there would be private classroom spaces for Special Education and English Learner classes. The library space has been encroached on and so would be able to return to former size.
Mrs. Lebo complimented the Lincoln Hancock staff for their flexibility, making the best of the physical limitations of the building and serving the students. Mrs. Lebo said the half-day program hours are very difficult for working parents.
Mr. Bregoli asked for clarification on the preschool parent needs, Dr. Perkins said most families are looking for 6-8 hours of Pre-Kindergarten due to their work schedules.
Mr. Bregoli asked about the security of the Lincoln Hancock building where there are classrooms without doors. Ms. Loftus said that the doors for each floor are locked and accessible with the key cards.
Mrs. Hubley said this proposal addresses the concerns of the community about expanding opportunities for Pre-Kindergarten.
Mrs. Perdios said there is overcrowding at different schools as well, would like to have a big picture discussion about the entire school district as a whole. Mrs. Perdios noted that Grade 5 students at the middle schools continues to be an equity issue, along with the fact that there hasn’t been re-districting in over 30 years. Along with the Della Chiesa ECC building, there is the property where the former St. Mary’s School available as well.
Mayor Koch asked about enrollment, Ms. Loftus said that 565 students are currently enrolled in Kindergarten through Grade 4. Around 115 Kindergarten students would attend Della Chiesa ECC. Mayor Koch noted that current class sizes are smaller than when our schools were originally built. In addition, the Della Chiesa ECC building needs capital improvements, including the HVAC system. Mayor Koch said that building a school on the former St. Mary’s school property would allow for redistricting. This proposal is a good step forward and will continue to be discussed.
Mr. Gutro thanked the presenters and agrees with Mrs. Perdios about a bigger picture look at the district facilities.
Mrs. Lebo asked whether the state has mandated that Pre-Kindergarten will be required, possibly as soon as 2030. Dr. Perkins said nothing has been announced yet, but we are monitoring.
Mr. Bregoli asked for clarification, the class size policy is set by Quincy School Committee and could be amended as needed. Mr. Bregoli suggested that grade level bands could be adjusted throughout the city, different configurations than what currently exists.
Mayor Koch said that building a new school in West Quincy would trigger the redistricting discussion. Mayor Koch agrees that grade level bands can also be discussed, some districts have K-8 schools or 7-12 schools.
Mr. Gutro said that the City Clerk reviews the Ward boundaries every ten years after the census completion, perhaps School Committee should adopt a similar mechanism to review the school districts at set intervals.
Mrs. Perdios asked what the timeline for review of these issues would be. Mayor Koch asked Superintendent Mulvey to research and identify the enrollment and district challenges.
Superintendent Mulvey said that the Lincoln Hancock space issues are the most important to address of all those across the district. The Superintendent’s Leadership Team will work on this is in the coming months. The goal is to do the best with what we have before an additional school building is available.
Mrs. Lebo referred this to both the Teaching & Learning and the Facilities, Security & Transportation Subcommittees for review and discussion.
Mrs. Cahill thanked Superintendent Mulvey, Dr. Perkins, and Ms. Loftus for the thoughtful proposal. Having the Della Chiesa ECC building available is an almost-immediate solution to the teaching and learning issues raised during the presentation. Mrs. Cahill said that enrollment shifts over time, so it might be premature to project redistricting when a new school may not be available for 5-7 years.
Mrs. Perdios agrees the proposal has merit, but would like to discuss the idea ofGrade 5 students being accommodated in the elementary schools through additions at Clifford Marshall and Lincoln Hancock.
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