Beverly School Committee Holds School Choice Caps, Tables High School Seat Expansion

BEVERLY -- April 13, 2022, Beverly School Committee votes 7-0 to hold school choice enrollment caps at 10 seats per grade in grades K-8 and 15 seats per grade at the high school, tabling a proposal to raise the high school cap to 20. Superintendent Dr. Suzanne Charochek presented data showing the district is at or near capacity across most grade levels, with an estimated 35 additional students potentially arriving from the opening Anchor Point housing development, most of whom are already Beverly residents. Member Larinda Visnick withdrew a motion to raise the high school cap after Dr. Kenan McKenzie and Mayor Michael P. Cahill called for more information from building administrators; the question returns May 11. The committee also approved $224,252 in budget transfers covering snow removal and special education transportation vans, accepted $10,769 in additional grant funds, and received $7,772.23 in gifts to schools. English Learner Education Director Caitlin Bellezza reported the district now serves 199 active English learners across 34 languages, with 57 percent of newly enrolled English learners this year classified as newcomers, 37 of them arriving from Brazil.