Shrewsbury School Committee Accepts $138,300 in Middle School Science Grants

SHREWSBURY — March 25, 2026 — Shrewsbury School Committee unanimously accepts $138,300 in science grants and votes to stay out of inter-district school choice for 2026-27. The committee voted Wednesday to accept two competitive awards from the 1-8 Foundation — $68,400 for Sherwood Middle School and $69,900 for Oak Middle School — to fund three-year implementation of the Open Science Ed curriculum, covering lab materials, teacher professional development, and state-based curriculum support. On school choice, Business Director Anthony Girardi reported the district retains only four school choice students from the last open enrollment cohort in 2016, is paying out just under $550,000 in school choice tuitions while collecting $20,000 in receipts, and faces continuing space constraints at the high school; the committee declined to open seats for 2026-27 in a unanimous vote. The meeting also featured a formal statement from member Sharifa Port disputing a Select Board member's characterization of a March 18 public records request as retaliatory, with Port citing an unfulfilled override agreement obligation requiring at least two annual joint meetings between the two boards.