WESTFORD — Westford Public Schools plan to add another third-grade teacher at Crisafulli Elementary School after enrollment came in significantly higher than projected for the current school year.
The district will create a sixth third-grade section at the school, officials told the School Committee during its Oct. 5 meeting. Interviews for the position were underway, with the district hoping to have the additional classroom in place by the end of October.
The change comes after third-grade enrollment at Crisafulli reached 131 students, compared with the 111 students district officials had projected when developing the budget.
School Committee members said the difference between projected and actual enrollment would have resulted in class sizes they would not have anticipated approving during the budget process.
One committee member said the district did not enter the budget process knowing Crisafulli would begin the year with classes of approximately 26 students.
The increase at Crisafulli comes despite an overall decline in enrollment across Westford Public Schools. Districtwide enrollment decreased by 67 students, according to information presented at the meeting. Middle school enrollment remained relatively consistent, while high school enrollment was nearly unchanged from the previous year.
Actual district enrollment also remains below previous projections. Officials said Westford currently has approximately 165 fewer students than projected by the Massachusetts School Building Authority.
The Crisafulli increase prompted discussion about whether the district should more closely monitor enrollment changes between the time the budget is developed and the beginning of the school year.
Committee members discussed the possibility of conducting an additional enrollment review in June, particularly at schools that may experience greater fluctuations.
Officials said the district receives information about new housing developments that could affect school enrollment, but predicting enrollment remains difficult because the district does not know which families will move into individual homes or apartments.
The additional Crisafulli teacher will also have financial implications beyond the current school year.
Officials said two salaried positions that had effectively been removed from the budget following retirements and reductions in elementary sections have now returned. One is a Special Education teacher hired in response to changing student needs, while the other is the new Crisafulli third-grade teacher.
Unlike a temporary fifth-grade position previously added at the Day School, officials expect the Crisafulli position to continue as the current third-grade cohort advances.
That means the district will need to account for the position as it develops its fiscal 2028 budget.
Committee members emphasized that funding the additional teacher could affect other district needs. Salary savings that become available during the year have historically been used to address areas such as facilities, preventive maintenance and other expenses that were not fully funded in the original budget.
The district will continue monitoring enrollment as it prepares for future budget discussions.
