Consultants Sarah Foudy and Dan Anderson presented a fact-based analysis of possible elementary school reconfiguration options to the Salem School Committee, citing an operating shortfall and uneven building utilization as the central drivers.

The consultants said the district closed a roughly $4.9 million deficit last spring and that operating costs and utilities have risen significantly; they described a five-point-plan analysis that considered enrollment, family choice patterns, facilities condition, transportation, and capital funding constraints. "We came here to build information and test the assumptions," Foudy said, adding the team would make the supporting fact base public for further review.

Their analysis found that neighborhood populations are unevenly distributed (large clusters in South Salem and The Point), that controlled choice is functioning (many families use citywide options), and that at least about 20% of recent kindergarten registrants could not walk to any school and therefore require busing. The consultants warned that closing buildings could yield personnel and capital savings, but that MSBA-funded buildings and flood-risk assessments complicate closure or repurposing decisions.

The team modeled eight scenarios (mergers, colocations, and building moves) and recommended four for committee consideration: 1) Saltonstall and Horace Mann merge at Horace Mann with Saltonstall repurposed; 2) a Horace Mann/Saltonstall merger with Bentley ECC repurposing (a variant); 4) Carlton and Saltonstall merge at Saltonstall; and 5) Carlton and Horace Mann merge at Horace Mann. Several scenarios were not recommended because they would displace a large number of students or require untenable swing-space arrangements.

Consultants noted that mergers could reduce non-classroom staff (they estimated about 12.5 positions would be affected in modeled mergers) but that classroom staffing impacts would depend on post-merger enrollments and section counts. They urged the committee to investigate whether Bentley would need to be vacated for major HVAC or modernization work, to examine phased renovation and move options to reduce disruption, and to post the fact base publicly so community members can follow the analysis.

The committee agreed to schedule community feedback sessions and to post the consultants' fact base for public review. Members asked clarifying questions about accountability and innovation school status following a merger; the consultants said accountability designations would be recomputed for any newly constituted school and that innovation-plan modifications would be a separate, local decision.

Next steps the consultants recommended included additional technical study (especially Bentley's upgrade feasibility), targeted public engagement (they proposed community meetings in mid- to late November), and consideration of phased or partial approaches so families and staff have advance notice.