Orleans Presented With School Regionalization Scenarios

ORLEANS – Five scenarios have been presented for improving operations within the Nauset Public Schools, including options for consolidating elementary schools in the district.

The select board and Orleans Elementary School committee on June 2 were presented with findings from a regionalization and efficiency study looking at how to more effectively operate the district’s five elementary schools and Nauset Regional Middle School. Presentations will also be given to the other Nauset towns of Brewster, Wellfleet and Eastham over the next week.

A 12-member steering committee composed of town and school officials and Nauset administrators have been working since last summer with two consultants, HMFH Architects and Civic Solutions Group, to prepare the 300-page study. The study was pulled together through tours of each facility, interviews with school staff and public outreach in the form of a community survey and public information sessions.

“It has been a daunting but important undertaking for our communities,” said Gail Briere of Orleans, a member of the steering committee. 

The study found that each of the six schools are underutilized according to Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA) standards. It also found that each building suffers from aging systems and code compliance issues.

Paula Barney of HMFH said the steering committee narrowed a list of 13 scenarios down to the five presented in the final report. The scenarios took into consideration factors including school culture, belonging and student wellness; learning enrichment and student experience; the need for excellent staff and leadership; family and community partnership; and facilities.

The first scenario would be to maintain the existing school models. That would involve the construction of a new Orleans Elementary School ($65.8 million) and Stony Brook Elementary School ($75 million), and “baseline repairs” to Eddy Elementary School ($18 million), Wellfleet Elementary School ($30 million) and Eastham Elementary School ($16 million). The figures presented in the study are “preliminary” and subject to change.

But enrollment is projected to drop at some of the schools by the 2035-2036 school year, the study found. Across the six buildings, enrollment is expected to drop from 1,971 to 1,846 over that period. In Brewster, enrollment is expected to fall at both Stony Brook (197 students to 173) and Eddy (220 to 204). 

The second scenario calls for consolidating the two Brewster elementary schools. That would involve either building a new Stony Brook school for an estimated $75 million or renovating Eddy at an estimated cost of $55 million. In each scenario, the school would serve students in pre-kindergarten through fifth grade.

A third scenario calls for two pre-kindergarten through fifth grade schools, with one in Brewster and a second serving an estimated 465 students in Orleans, Eastham and Wellfleet. In this model, a new Stony Brook school is estimated to cost $72 million, while a renovated Eddy school would cost approximately $52 million. A new school for Orleans, Eastham and Wellfleet elementary students is projected to cost $80 million.

An option also was presented for creating three elementary schools (pre-kindergarten through fifth grade) in the district. That involves one in Brewster at the same cost presented in scenario three; a second in a new Orleans Elementary School at an estimated cost of $67.5 million; and a third in either Eastham ($60 million for a new building) or Wellfleet ($50 million for renovation).

The final scenario calls for two pre-kindergarten through second grade schools and a third for students in grades three through five. That includes one pre-kindergarten through second grade school in Brewster ($69 million for a new Stony Brook school, $49 million for a renovated Eddy school) and a second serving Orleans, Eastham and Wellfleet ($74 million for a new building, $52 million for a renovation). A new Orleans Elementary School would serve students in grades three through five from across the district for an estimated $70 million.

Nauset Regional Middle School would continue to serve students in grades six through eight across the district in each scenario, but the study calls for an eventual renovation of $50 million.

Barney stressed that the scenarios presented are options, not recommendations for how the towns should proceed.

Any work toward carrying out a plan for regionalization or consolidation would not likely begin before 2028, Barney said. Depending on whether the district applies for MSBA funding, work could be completed by late 2032 or by 2035.

Barney said the benefits for regionalization are many. She said a new model would help the district address operational gaps that exist across the district in “facilities maintenance, human resources, grant administration and financial operations.” It would also alleviate the workload for central office administrators, she said. The study showed that under the existing configuration, Nauset Superintendent Glenn Brand is charged with working with 30 committee members across the six schools and attending 150 meetings a year.

Regionalization and consolidation also could put the district in line for grant funding through the MSBA. Barney said that the agency is more inclined to offer grants to schools with 300 students or more, but she noted that nothing is guaranteed.

“It is very competitive,” she said of the grant process. “Every year is different.”

Select Board Chair Mefford Runyon asked how the presented scenarios would align Nauset with other districts.

“As we decide what choices we’re going to make, there should be goals,” he said. “I think if we’re looking at per pupil costs and those simple things, of those four scenarios, does one get you to a goal and the other three don’t?”

“I would say that the region is not alone right now in terms of the birth rates and enrollment," said Justin Tyack of Civic Solutions. “It’s becoming a national problem across the board.” He said birth rates have been trending downward nationally over the past 10 years.

Kevin Galligan of the select board, who also sits on the steering committee, said that the committee reached out to superintendents in Provincetown and Truro to work with them in the process and better understand their costs and enrollment numbers.

Mary Wright of the select board applauded the scope of the study, but said she would like to see more detail about “governance” of the district if and when it moves forward with any proposed changes.

Lynn Bruneau asked if the cost estimates outlined in the study are specific to Cape Cod, or if they are statewide numbers.

“Because there’s a really big difference,” she said.

“We do most of our work around Boston,” Barney said.

Kari Hoffman of Brewster, a member of the Nauset regional school committee, said the study showed “how complicated the district really is.” She also asked about how governance of the district might be reorganized under any of the presented scenarios.

“There’s a visioning aspect to what you want to accomplish with a more regionalized structure that I think we’d have to start with,” Tyack said.

Others, including select board member Michael Herman, said the middle school should be given some added consideration.

“I just want to make sure we’re not leaving the middle school behind,” he said.

Scott Zenke of Orleans questioned whether the newly constructed Nauset Regional High School campus, which has additional capacity beyond its current student enrollment, might have the ability to absorb the middle school. He also said it should be looked at as to whether the existing middle school might be able to serve as an elementary school.

“We’ve got to do our due diligence,” he said. “Clean slate of paper, K through high school, and see what we’ve got with existing buildings.”

The steering committee will continue to meet, collect community feedback and consult with the MSBA about grant opportunities in the next six months. Longer term, Galligan said a timeline will be worked out for the member towns to make decisions about how to proceed.

“There’s incredible respect we’ve had for each of our differences from towns, but also the numbers are the numbers,” he said. “They are telling us we have to do something.”

The study will be presented to the Brewster select board and school committee June 4.