Abington School Committee Opts Out of School Choice for 2025-2026
Abington Public Schools Implements New Communication System
ABINGTON- November 26 - The Abington School Committee voted to opt out of the Massachusetts School Choice program for the 2025-2026 school year during its Nov. 26 meeting, citing full classrooms and potential staffing challenges if additional students were admitted.
Superintendent Felicia Moschella recommended opting out, noting that the district's enrollment has remained steady in recent years.
"Our elementary classrooms are in the low 20s. As we move up through the grades, they move to a mid 20s, mid plus 20s," Moschella said. "Adding any number of students could tip us to a place that we would have to add staff."
Moschella explained that while classrooms are not overcrowded, there is little room for growth without necessitating additional teachers or space.
"We wouldn't even have space to add additional classrooms," she said.
The committee unanimously approved opting out of school choice for the upcoming academic year.
In other business, the district announced the implementation of a new comprehensive communication system called Thrillshare. The platform aims to streamline and standardize district-wide communications with families.
Rich Bykowski, director of technology, said Thrillshare will be used for sending text messages, emails and phone calls to families. The system also includes automatic translation features for non-English speaking households.
"When [Principal] Jonathan Bourne sends an email home, the system recognizes whose family speaks Portuguese, whose family speaks Spanish, and so on," Bykowski explained. "And those communications go out to those families in those languages automatically without the person creating the message doing the translation on their own."
The district plans to roll out two-way communication capabilities through Thrillshare in the spring, with full implementation expected for the 2025-2026 school year.
Bykowski encouraged families to download the district's mobile app, which will be used for the two-way communication feature. The app can be found by visiting AbingtonPS.org and scrolling to the bottom of the homepage.
The new system has already been tested during recent emergency situations at the beginning of the school year.
Superintendent Moschella addressed concerns about timely communication during emergencies, stating, "We try to get that message out as soon as we can, but we also need to remember that the safety of our students and staff is what's most important."
She added that sometimes it may take longer to send messages while officials are assessing the situation.
The committee also heard updates on the district's strategic plan, including efforts to enhance emergency preparedness and evaluate infrastructure at elementary schools.
Julie Thompson, principal of Beaver Brook Elementary School, reported that every new hire undergoes ALICE (Alert, Lockdown, Inform, Counter and Evacuate) protocol training as part of their onboarding process. The district also conducts regular drills and reviews procedures with local authorities.
"After each drill or real emergency, we continue to review our actions taken and the results achieved, and we include always collaborating with town departments and our local authorities," Thompson said.
The Massachusetts School Building Authority and the district's Director of Maintenance will evaluate the physical infrastructure of Woodsdale and Beaver Brook Elementary Schools. This assessment will guide decisions about repairs, upgrades or potential replacement to enhance safety and functionality.
In financial matters, the committee approved the fiscal year 2025 budget allocation, with $23,911,818 for salaries and $6,881,824 for expenses.
The next school committee meeting, which will include the budget hearing, is scheduled for Jan. 7, 2025, at 6:30 p.m.