BROOKLINE — Discord among parents and residents continues to rise as town officials near a decision on how to address surging enrollment that is leading to overcrowding in the public schools.
Parents opposed to one of the proposals under consideration, reopening the vacant Old Lincoln School on Route 9 as a kindergarten through eighth grade school, have gathered more than 400 signatures on a petition asking the town to back off the idea....
Opponents object to the school’s location along heavily traveled Route 9, and the lack of green space around the building.
The committee is exploring a number of options to relieve overcrowding, including building a new kindergarten-to-eighth grade school, expanding existing buildings, reopening Old Lincoln, and possibly building a second high school.
The town expects the Proposition 2½ override that would be needed for the projects could lead to tax increases of well over $600 on a median single-family home in Brookline valued at $1,071,750....
Member George Cole said that when the town begins seeking an override, some will question why a vacant school is not being used to remedy the enrollment surge....
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