Natick School Committee Votes 5-2 to Back Two-Site Preschool Plan for New Memorial School

NATICK -- June 15, 2026, Natick School Committee approves two-site preschool plan tied to Memorial School rebuilding project. The committee voted 5-2 at its June 15 meeting to recommend Option B as educational program guidance to the district, a configuration that would place four Massachusetts School Building Authority-reimbursed preschool classrooms in a new Memorial School, add two classrooms at an alternate site currently identified as East School, and reclaim five preschool rooms from inside Natick High School. Superintendent Anna Spash called Option B the administration's "analytical preference," noting it satisfies all five stated district priorities while staying within the MSBA reimbursement framework at a 45.11 percent base rate. A competing one-site Option C would have required an estimated $6.8 to $8.1 million in locally funded, unreimbursed construction. Members Catherine Collins and the chair voted no, with Collins arguing the plan does not expand the program's capacity, only about 40 percent of Natick kindergarten-age children can currently access pre-K. The committee also voted 7-0 to approve Superintendent Spash's annual evaluation and 7-0 to adopt an updated districtwide strategic plan, and recognized Natick High School's Unified Track and Field team on its fourth consecutive state championship.