Upton resident, Debbie Amorelli, hit social media Friday with a plea for parents to join her in a letter writing campaign to Nipmuc Principal, John Clements, and Superintendent, Dr. Maruszczak to accept two Northbridge teens into the districts school “choice” program. The teens moved from Upton to Northbridge this summer and have been in the MURSD for most of their educational lives. Unfortunately the deadline for requesting school choice was missed and the MURSD advised the students this week they have 1 week to transfer to Northridge, according to Amorelli.
In Amorelli’s letter to the community she states the high school students are good students whose single mother is trying to do the best she can for her children. Amorelli goes on to explain the students have been attending Nipmuc Regional High School since the start of school, August 27. One of the two students made the JV Volleyball team and “her eyes light up when she talks about her team”, said Amorelli. Northbridge does not offer a volleyball program. Amorelli’s heart breaks for her.
Amorelli states, “I am not naive to the mistakes that may have been made by the family in this case. But the children are paying the price.” Several residents have responded to Amorelli’s request and say they are contacting the administration on the teens behalf.
When questioned early Friday morning Superintendent Dr. Maruszczak was not cognizant of this specific situation but provided some information on how school choice works. School choice is governed by M.G.L Chapter 76, Section 12 B. In the spring each building principal delineates the number of available seats that are available to choice students for every grade level the following year. That number is revisited the week before school starts in August, and sometimes there may be adjustments. However, once the allotted number of choice seats are filled then no further choice students are let in, regardless of what happens with the total class size including students moving in or out of the district during the year. The number is fixed.
Dr. Maruszczak said,” This is a complex issue, and like most things in life, there must be a balance with school choice. Principals must stay cognizant of what ideal class sizes should be for a given grade level, and obvious preference must be given for Mendon and Upton children. Also, under the School Choice law, once a non-resident student is enrolled as a choice student, they must be permitted to stay within the district until graduation. Thus, there are implications for not just the current year, but for many afterwards as well. Along with that, once a choice student is enrolled, his/her siblings also have preferential selection as choice students as well.”
Maruszczak said, “In the big picture, again, balance is key. Please realize that the district is reimbursed approximately $5100 (per state law) by the non-resident student’s sending district. This is far below the approximately $11,000 per pupil it costs to educate a student in the MURSD. In some grade levels where class sizes permit, some choice students may be taken. In other grade levels, it may not work.”
Dr. Maruszczak encouraged the parent to reach out to him as he would be happy to discuss the situation in more detail.
UPTON DAILY 
This is a fantastic opportunity for the community to contact our representatives and get the state laws revised for school choice. When we disagree with the ways the laws work, we need to get them changed, and the only way to do that is through concerted effort at the state level. I don’t know how far it would get as there needs to be some sort of organization to the process, but it’s always worth the effort when you care deeply about something.