Q: Why is Holyoke moving to separate elementary and middle schools and redrawing school boundary lines?

A: The top reason to move to separate elementary and middle schools and redraw school boundary lines is to better meet students’ academic and social-emotional needs. We will do this by:

• Designing schools tailored to elementary or middle school grades;

• Staffing each grade with a complete team of teachers who have time to collaborate together; and

• Expanding learning opportunities, including growing dual language and offering varied enrichment opportunities to students.

Additionally, this plan will:

• Ensure program continuity for dual language and special education

• Be more equitable

• Dedicate resources to instruction, not operations

 Q: What is the future grade configuration at HPS?

A: Beginning in fall 2023, elementary schools will serve grades PreK-5 or K-5, depending on space available. Middle schools will serve grades 6-8.

Q: How was this decision made?

A: HPS leadership analyzed more than 40 scenarios and listened to extensive input along the way to arrive at the option we have today. Since the spring, 1,250+ participants in 46 public and internal meetings, 710 survey responders across 3 surveys, and countless stakeholders at 60+ school and community events have had the opportunity to share their opinions on how to best move Holyoke forward. We also want to thank the Rezoning Task Force, Rezoning Working Group, Family and Community Engagement Team, Cabinet leaders, and School Committee for their efforts along the way. We also thank AppGeo, our technical geographic information system (GIS) consultants who led the back-end analytics for the scenarios and boundary maps. Ultimately, Superintendent Soto made the final decisions.

Q: Will staff members keep their jobs through these changes?

A: Short answer: YES!!! 

Long answer: Our Holyoke educators and staff members are committed to our students and families, and therefore, we are committed to them. Every staff member in good standing with the district will continue to have a job—and a home—at HPS, even as these changes are made. All staff members received an email on October 28 with the final reassignment and transfer process and were notified whether they are definitely impacted, potentially impacted, or not impacted by rezoning. On Friday, December 16 (after school), impacted staff will be notified of their new school and position placement.

Q: What programmatic and grade changes will take place at my school in 2023 or 2026?

A: We appreciate everyone who has helped us arrive at many of these decisions. In all cases, the boundary lines for the schools will change for the 2023-2024 school year, so many students will move to a different school than they are currently in.

Donahue. Donahue will continue to be a PreK-5 school with programming that serves students with autism. Some students with autism will also attend another elementary school. As the program has continued to grow, it limits inclusion opportunities at Donahue, so we need to have at least two schools with autism programming. We estimate that Donahue will have 3 general education homerooms per grade.

Holyoke Middle. Holyoke Middle (grades 6-8) is co-located with Peck (grades 4-8). It will not be a school beyond this school year; all staff and students will move to another HPS school. Most students at Holyoke Middle will instead go to Sullivan or Metcalf. (The students in the current Kelly zone will go to Sullivan, and the students in the current Morgan zone will go to Metcalf.)

Kelly. Kelly will continue to be a PreK-5 school. Kelly will offer dual language programming (an estimated two homerooms per grade) and traditional “English-only” or monolingual programming (an estimated one homeroom per grade.) Kelly will also have six PreK classes (including three dual language PreK classes), and Rise and Shine, which are sub-separate special education programs. 

Lawrence. Lawrence will expand its grades to serve students in grades PreK-5. Lawrence will have approximately 3 homerooms per grade. It will have PreK programming and continue to be home to the therapeutic intervention program (TIP). 

McMahon. McMahon will serve students in grades PreK-5. McMahon will have approximately 3 homerooms per grade and one PreK classroom. It will also continue to serve as a location for the supported inclusion program (SIP), which serves students with autism. It is the second smallest building in the HPS portfolio with only 21 full-size classrooms. 

Metcalf. Metcalf will become a middle school with traditional monolingual programming from 2023-2026. Given the small size of the building, it will be the smallest middle school with 200-225 students. All dual language students will be transitioned to E.N. White (elementary school) and Sullivan (middle school). City-wide dual language students in PreK will be at Kelly. 

By fall 2026 or 2027, students at Holyoke STEM and Metcalf Middle will merge to be one school at the Peck location. We are trying to build a new school at that location. If the City is unable to secure funding for the school, students will still move into the existing middle school building.  Metcalf Middle will be home to the following sub-separate special education programs: SIP (supported inclusion program), Functional, and Rise. The former Blessed Sacrament building will not be used. 

Morgan. Morgan will remain a PreK-5 school. It will have an estimated 3 homerooms per grade. It will also have PreK programming, although less than they do currently. It will also be home to special education programming that serves students with autism including SIP (supported inclusion program) and ABL (Applied Behavioral Learning) program. 

Peck. Peck will be temporarily closed, and all students will attend a different school in fall 2023. The grades 6-8 students in the Peck neighborhood zone will attend Holyoke STEM next fall. 

Peck currently serves grades 4-8, while being co-located with Holyoke Middle (grades 6-8). We are in the process with the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA) to hopefully build a new middle school for approximately 550 students at the Peck school location. If this project moves forward, the existing Peck building needs to be vacated in order to demolish and build new. Accordingly, from fall 2023 to spring 2026, we will vacate the building. Students will be served at one of three middle school buildings (STEM, Metcalf, and Sullivan). Then, if and when a new middle school is built at Peck by fall 2026, the students from STEM and Metcalf Middle will merge to form a new Peck. If we are unable to secure funding from the City of Holyoke and/or MSBA to build a new building, then the students from STEM and Metcalf Middle will move into the old Peck building and become one school (not two). 

STEM. STEM is a grades 6-8 school co-located at Holyoke High School Dean Campus. It will continue to serve students who are currently in the Donahue neighborhood zone and students in the ABL, SIP, and LLD special education programs. Students currently zoned for Peck will also be at Holyoke STEM since the building is temporarily closing. 

By fall 2026 or 2027, students at Holyoke STEM and Metcalf Middle will merge to be one school at the Peck location. We are trying to build a new school at that location. If the City is unable to secure funding for the school, students will still move into the existing middle school building. 

Sullivan. Sullivan will be a grades 6-8 middle school with an estimated 8 homerooms per grade. Eventually, about half of the school will operate dual language programming. The sub-separate special education programming at Sullivan will be TIP and Shine. Most elementary students who currently attendSullivan will go to McMahon; some will attend Donahue next fall. All current Sullivan middle school students who are assigned to Sullivan based on where they live today will continue to be at Sullivan in fall 2023. 

E.N. White. E.N. White will be a PreK-5 full dual language school with an estimated 4 homerooms per grade. There will be one dual language PreK class at E.N. White. (There will be more at Kelly, and many of those students will come to E.N. White in kindergarten.) Students who are currently in the “strand” (English-only) class will need to move to another elementary school, depending on their address. Students in the neighborhoods closest to E.N. White will go to McMahon. Based on the new maps, some students will be reassigned to Kelly going forward. See the neighborhood components labeled E.N. White 3 and E.N. White 4.

Q:  Will school hours change with rezoning?

A: Yes, it is possible that school hours will change. In order to minimize transportation costs, we have an early tier of busing and a later tier of busing. With the number of students and boundary lines changing, we will need to reroute our buses and determine the best start and end times. We recognize we have had a lot of change to start and end times in the past six years and will seek to limit this going forward. Start and end times will be published by early spring.

Q: Which schools will be elementary schools?
A: Donahue, E.N. White, Kelly, Lawrence, McMahon and Morgan are elementary schools. Most will be grades PreK-5. Please note, dual language programming in elementary school will be at E.N. White and Kelly. The elementary schools map can be found here.

Q: Which schools will be middle schools?

A: In the long-run, Peck and Sullivan will be middle schools with 500-550 students each. In the short-term, Peck will be vacated in fall 2023 as we try to build a new building at that location. For 3-4 years, students who will eventually be at Peck will instead be divided across Metcalf Middle and Holyoke STEM. Please note, dual language programming in middle school will be at Sullivan beginning fall 2023. The middle schools map can be found here.

Q: Which students will be at each middle school?

A: The students who will be at Sullivan Middle in SY23-24 are:

• Middle school students who are at Sullivan now

• Middle school students who are at Metcalf now (for the dual language program)

• Middle school students who will be coming from the elementary zones of E.N. White (they are currently at STEM) and Kelly (they are currently at Holyoke Middle) 

• Middle school students at Peck in the TIP and Shine programs

The students who will be at Metcalf Middle in SY23-24 are: 

• Middle school students who are currently at Holyoke Middle and in the current Morgan elementary zone

• Middle school students who are currently at McMahon (including in the SIP program) and are in the elementary zone that is being rezoned from McMahon to Donahue

• Middle school students from Sullivan in the Rise program and from Holyoke Middle in the Functional program

The students who will be at Holyoke STEM in SY23-24 are:

• Middle school students who are at Holyoke STEM now and are in the current Donahue elementary zone

• Middle school students from Peck (in the Peck/Lawrence zone)

• Middle school students in the ABL/SIP program as they are now (except for the SIP students who are going from McMahon to Metcalf Middle)

Q: Where are students from Peck going?

A: Students in the TIP and Shine programs are going to Sullivan. Most other students from Peck, assuming they live in the Peck/Lawrence zone, are going to Holyoke STEM in SY23-24 and will go back to Peck when a new building is hopefully built. 

Q: Where are students from Holyoke Middle going?

A: Holyoke Middle students who are currently in the Kelly elementary zone are going to Sullivan. Holyoke Middle students who are currently in the Morgan elementary zone are going to Metcalf Middle in SY23-24 and eventually Peck (when it reopens after a new building is hopefully built).  

Q: Where will dual language programming be offered?

A: E.N. White will be a full dual language elementary school with an estimated 4 dual language classes per grade. Kelly will be a partial dual language elementary school with an estimated 2 dual language classes per grade and 1 traditional monolingual classes (aka English-only classes). Sullivan will be a partial dual language middle school with approximately four homerooms per grade eventually. (By next fall, we anticipate 2-3 sections of dual language in 6th grade and 2 sections of dual language in 7th and 8th grade due to enrollment.)

In PreK, there will be one class at E.N. White, and three classes at Kelly. As best as possible, we will reserve 33% of the seats for students in the E.N. White-zone, 33% in the Kelly zone, and 33% Citywide. To the extent possible, the class at E.N. White will be for students in the E.N. White zone. Since Kelly has more space for PreK DL, the PreK Citywide seats and some of the PreK E.N. White-zone seats will be at Kelly - and then students will move from Kelly to E.N. White for kindergarten.

Q: Where will PreK classes be located?

A: All elementary schools will have PreK, although the number of classes and type of programming depends on space available and other elementary programming.

Q: Where will special education programming be located?

A:  The specialized special education and preschool programming will be at the following locations. We took into consideration building expertise, space available, and community-wide distribution in these decisions.

Q: Where will students in the autism program attend school?

A: Currently, we have two programs that serve students with autism: ABL (which is primarily a sub-separate program) and SIP (which stands for supported inclusion program). The number of students enrolled in autism programs has grown in recent years. And, we considered a variety of factors when deciding placement, including: whole-staff expertise, offering a continuum of services as the child’s needs change, and ample opportunities for inclusion.

Donahue has developed an expertise in serving children with autism and will continue to do so. Morgan will also provide elementary autism programming, as the school has some experience with autism programs in PreK. 

McMahon will continue to be a home school for students in the SIP program.

At the middle school level, Metcalf Middle will offer SIP programming, and Holyoke STEM will continue to offer ABL and SIP programming. In the long-run, we plan for middle school ABL and SIP programming to be at Peck.

Q: Where will my child be attending school next year? 

A: It depends on where you live and the programming your child receives. Please read this fact sheet for more information. Most families will be able to figure out where their child is attending school based on their home address. However, other families have special circumstances to be considered. All families will receive a letter in January (if not sooner) with their children’s school placement 

• By home address. Follow this link to access an interactive map. In the top right-hand corner of the map, type in a city of Holyoke address. The map will zoom in and the designated address will appear in the right hand column. Click on this address and a box will open on the left hand side of the screen listing the assigned elementary and middle schools for this address. (Note: This map does not provide school assignments for students attending specialized programs.) This short video (English, Spanish) provides instructions and an example of how to use this tool. If you experience technical difficulties using this map, send an email to Enrollment and provide your address and your child(ren)’s current grade level so that we can assist you.

The fact sheet also outlines the special circumstances that may influence where a students attends school, including: 

• Students in the dual language (DL) program.

• PreK students with another year of PreK to complete. 

• Students experiencing homelessness.  

• Students placed in foster care. 

• School Choice students. 

It is especially important that all families’ contact information is current. Please update your contact information if needed. 

Q: What transportation will be provided for students and their families?

A: The transportation eligibility criteria will be the same as it is currently and can be found on the HPS transportation webpage. Early in 2023, we will begin the complex process of designing the new routes and assigning students to routes. We will notify families in the spring if their child is eligible for transportation in fall 2023. Routes will be posted in mid-August with pick-up times and locations.

Q: How will seats for dual language programming be allocated?

A: This is the first year that we have 6 dual language kindergarten classes, and we intend to keep six classes going forward. Currently, and in the future, we intend to allocate them so that there are the equivalent of two dual language homerooms per grade for students at E.N. White, another two for students in the Kelly zone, and another two for students across the district (who will then attend E.N. White as well.) Of course, enrollment and demographics may change from year to year, but we will strive for a balance by location, race, and language proficiency.  

In PreK, there will be one class at E.N. White, and three classes at Kelly. As best as possible, we will reserve 33% of the seats for students in the E.N. White-zone, 33% in the Kelly zone, and 33% Citywide. To the extent possible, the class at E.N. White will be for students in the E.N. White zone. Since Kelly has more space for PreK DL, the PreK Citywide seats and some of the PreK E.N. White-zone seats will be at Kelly - and then students will move from Kelly to E.N. White for kindergarten.

Q: Who are the principals and other school leaders at each school beginning in fall 2023?

A: Please refer to the following chart for leadership team assignment.

Notes: 

• Ms. Lajoie is in the process of deciding her plans for next year. Should she decide this is her last year, we have an internal candidate we would like to promote who has expressed interest in the position. 

• Two current principals—Mr. Steven Moguel and Ms. Sarita Graveline—will move into district leadership positions next school year.

Q: Will any students be allowed to stay at their current schools? 

A: The school a student attends will be based on their home address, and, if relevant, a program in which they are enrolled. We will also consider allowing students to stay at their current school for extraordinary circumstances. Families with extraordinary circumstances may submit a Zone Appeal application in March 2023. HPS will be more strict in granting Zone Appeal approvals than we have in years past. It is our intention that students attend their assigned school unless extraordinary circumstances apply. Zone Appeal approval is also subject to space availability. 

Extraordinary circumstances that have the highest likelihood of being approved are:

• A sibling attends a different school due to a special program and the family would like their children to attend the same school.

  • Note: HPS would verify the sibling’s program assignment before granting approval.

• A parent/guardian works at the school they would like their child to attend.

  • Note: HPS would verify the parent/guardian’s work location before granting approval.

** Special consideration for SY23-24 ONLY: If and when space allows, students entering grade 5 or grade 8 (“transition years”) in SY23-24 may apply for a Zone Appeal if their family would like them to remain at their current school. This will not be possible for all students at all schools, since the school must both offer the appropriate grade level and programming and also have available space. When there are more requests for this special consideration than there is space available, a lottery will be held. The schools for which special considerations apply for SY23-24 include:

• For 5th grade only: Donahue, E.N. White, Kelly, McMahon, Morgan.

• For 8th grade only: STEM, Sullivan. (Although Metcalf will have grade 8, it will not be able to offer any dual language programming due to space constraints and program requirements. Therefore, all Metcalf students who want to stay in the dual language program, will need to go to Sullivan.)

Please note, we will survey 4th and 7th-grade families in the schools listed above in early January to gauge their interest in going to their new school or staying at their current school. We do not want to create false hope with this process. Please understand that appeals will be limited and dependent on circumstances and space. We urge families to strongly consider attending their new school; your child will know some of their peers and likely some of the staff members since they will also likely be going to the new school alongside your child.

There is also an area that used to be zoned for E.N. White that is now zoned for Kelly. These neighborhood components have been labeled E.N. White 3 and E.N. White 4 on the maps that have been presented publicly. They are northwest of Appleton and Elm, south of Purple Heart Drive, south of the intersection of Hampden & School, south of the intersection of Clinton and Dwight, and east of the intersection of Suffolk and Appleton. Students in the dual language program who live in this neighborhood are automatically assigned to attend school at E.N. White. If these families would prefer their children be part of the dual language program at Kelly (which will be PK-3 in fall 2023), they can request a zone appeal. If a family in this neighborhood has a grade 4 or 5 student in DL at E.N. White and has a new child entering kindergarten in dual language, they could request their kindergarten child attend E.N. White instead of Kelly.

Zone Appeals for other special circumstances will be considered, but are less likely to be approved. Compelling rationale and documentation will be required.

Q: What will the zone appeal process be?

A: The current zone appeal process is located on our website. The new zone appeal process is available here. HPS will be more strict in granting Zone Appeal approvals than we have in years past. It is our intention that students attend their assigned school unless extraordinary circumstances apply. Zone Appeal approval is also subject to space availability.

Q: Where will students who choice into HPS go to school? 

A: Families will be contacted by U.S. Postal Mail by December 23 to inform them of their children’s placements. If the majority of students at their current school are moving to another school, students in School Choice will follow their peers. If less than half of the students at their current school are moving to another school, they will stay at their current school. School Choice students enrolled in specialized special education programs will  be assigned based on program location.

Q: Will the teachers at my child’s school be going with them to their new school?

A: To the extent possible, when a whole program (e.g. dual language elementary from Metcalf, or a sub-separate program) or entire grade (e.g. grades 6-8 at McMahon) is moving, we will do our best to move teachers along with students. Because we are also redrawing school boundary lines to meet the rezoning guidelines, this will be an imperfect process. Teachers and other staff will find out their assignments by December 16, 2022, and we will try to share this information with you in early 2023.

Q: What will be done to ease the transition for students?

A: This is a big change for our students, and we want to support them through this change. Principals will reach out to families in early 2023 for opportunities to get to know the new school community. This will include school tours, invitation to school events, orientations, and gatherings before school starts. There will also be information about the schools and leadership posted on the website and shared through email communication. Please be assured that students who are changing schools will likely know many people at their new school because many of their current classmates—and some of the staff at their school today—also will be moving to this new school.

We also surveyed families to ask them about the information that they are most eager to receive. At the top of their lists were school start and end times (to be released in early spring), transportation eligibility and routes, school leader names (already announced) and teacher names. We are eager to continue sharing this information with you as it becomes available.

Q: How will families be supported in accessing the school if not within walking distance of the school?

A: We are considering many ideas, including bus transportation for student events, personalized transportation for school meetings, child care at school meetings, and more. We hope that you reach out to your family and community engagement team members to share other ideas.

Q: What will the uniform expectations be? 

A: We haven’t made any decisions about uniforms yet, but we have clearly heard that people are eager for similar expectations across the middle schools. Families can expect more information about this in the spring.

Q: What improvements have been made and will be made to Sullivan School?

A: A number of recent upgrades have already been made, and more are planned for the start of next school year.

Recent Upgrades

• Windows and exterior doors replacements

• Partial roof replacement

• New exterior landscaping

• Air conditioning Installation 

• LED lights installation throughout the school (work ongoing)

Upgrades to be completed by the first day of school for SY23-24

• Age-appropriate bathroom modifications meeting ADA accessibility requirements

• Upgraded grade-level appropriate furniture 

• Upgraded security camera coverage to more closely match the coverage recently put in place at the high school campuses

• Updated library with age-appropriate furniture, technology, and materials

• Appropriate space and equipment for science

• Appropriate materials for middle school enrichment classes

Upgrades to be completed by SY24-25

• Modify the existing entrances to limit visitors’ access to the rest of the building and potentially expand the office area

• Upgrade the outdoor and athletic facilities, including installation of a new basketball courts

These upgrades will take more time because they require architectural design services and time for construction.

We will also work with school administrators to determine whether they think it is a priority to replace play structures and provide a locker for each student, both of which were considered lower priorities among those who took the recent facilities upgrades survey.

Q: What improvements have been made and will be made to Metcalf Middle?

A: A number of recent upgrades have already been made, and more are planned for the start of next school year.

Recent Upgrades

• Upgraded kitchen to provide additional food storage and meal preparation on campus

• Flooring replacement

• Ensuring operable windows and air conditioning installation in every classroom

• New water heater

• Traffic flow signage  

Upgrades to be completed by the first day of school for SY23-24

• Age-appropriate bathroom modifications meeting ADA accessibility requirements

• Upgraded grade-level appropriate furniture 

• Upgraded security camera coverage

• Appropriate space and equipment for science classes

• Appropriate materials for middle school enrichment classes

• Upgraded outdoor facilities where possible

Q: Are improvements being made to other schools?

A: With the support of the City of Holyoke and Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA), more than $20 million has been invested in our schools. We will continue to make upgrades in order to ensure a safe, supportive learning environment. A big focus for fall 2023 will be ensuring that the appropriate learning materials and furniture are in schools. Additionally, Lawrence School is also a priority for facility improvements, because we have committed to keeping the building a part of our school portfolio and Lawrence is adding two grade levels to become a PreK-5 school, which will approximately double enrollment.

Q: Is Holyoke pursuing a new middle school?

A: Yes, Holyoke is trying to build a new middle school. We are working with the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA) and City Council, both of which help pay for the building. There are many steps to the process, and the earliest a new school would be ready to open is fall 2026. You can learn more about this project on the district website.

Q: When might a new middle school be built?

A: Fall 2026 at the earliest. It may take until fall 2027.

Q: What happens if Holyoke is unable to secure funding for a new middle school building? 

A: If Holyoke is unable to secure funding for a new middle school building from either the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA) or City Council, then the current Peck building will be a grades 6-8 middle school for 500-550 students. The students who would otherwise be at Metcalf Middle or Holyoke STEM will then combine to be one school at Peck.