Hatfield School Committee Opens Debate on Moving Sixth Grade to Smith Academy

HATFIELD -- September 30, 2024, Hatfield School Committee hears detailed pitch to move sixth grade to Smith Academy for 2025–26. Superintendent Connor Driscoll and Hatfield Elementary School Principal Petra presented a research-backed proposal at the September 30 meeting, citing curriculum alignment, expanded electives, and a "sixth-grade academy" model drawn from Gateway Regional School District and Harvard, Massachusetts. The committee, chaired by Christy Boudreau, took no vote on the move, framing the session as community fact-finding ahead of an October decision. Enrollment figures underscore the urgency: Smith Academy currently enrolls 106 students and the elementary school roughly 203, a combined decline of about nine students from last year. Committee member Tania Menz noted that public sentiment has shifted from broadly supportive to "at best ambivalent and more common negative" since the spring. The committee unanimously approved Driscoll's 2024–25 superintendent goals, which include measurable benchmarks for reducing office referrals and improving student sense of belonging.