North Middlesex School Committee votes 6-3 to permanently close Ashby Elementary School

School Committee · Meeting of January 29, 2026

TOWNSEND — North Middlesex Regional School Committee votes 6-3 to permanently close Ashby Elementary School. The January 29 vote ended more than two years of debate over the Ashby, Massachusetts building, which had been closed for the current school year under a one-year pause granted by the Massachusetts School Building Authority. Finance Committee Chair Kim Craven presented side-by-side budget scenarios showing that reopening the school would cost roughly $3.5 million over the FY26 budget — a 5.27 percent increase — while doing nothing to reduce overcrowded classrooms district-wide, with some kindergarten classes running 25 to 30 students.

Superintendent Brad Morgan warned the committee that the district is already drawing $2 million from its excess and deficiency account, calling further draws "extremely dangerous." Member Kenan Francois, voting yes, said "there is nobody coming to bring us a better" option, while member Randy Rush, voting no, argued the district's foundation enrollment has dropped from 3,099 in FY25 to 2,869 for FY27 and that closing Ashby leaves no room for projected enrollment rebounds. Pepperell's Select Board had formally written in opposition to reopening the school; Ashby's town administrator wrote in opposition to any closure.

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Source: the School Committee meeting of January 29, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.