Stoneham School Committee Approves Bus Lottery for Families Near Two-Mile Threshold

STONEHAM — September 11, 2025 — Stoneham School Committee approves a bus lottery system for families living just under the state's two-mile eligibility threshold. The committee unanimously backed Superintendent Dr. Stephanie De Francisco's plan to open 20 available seats on the district's single bus by public lottery, at $60 per month per child, to families in kindergarten through sixth grade who live within two miles of their home school — a response to complaints, including from two Brookbridge Road neighbors who addressed the committee, that families were told the night before school started they no longer qualified despite receiving eligibility letters last spring. The committee also unanimously accepted a second-year grant from the 1-8 Foundation for an applied learning pilot at Central Middle School, presented by Principal Michael Saley and Assistant Principal Kathleen Clark, who reported the pilot is expanding from sixth-grade social studies to all three middle school grades. De Francisco, in her first official superintendent's report, presented a phased entry plan, district enrollment data showing first-grade classes approaching 25 students in some elementary schools, and a plan for proactive outreach including meet-and-greets with police and fire officials and a visit to the Stoneham Early Learning Center's parent university in October.