Carver School Committee Approves $14,700 Inquiry Curriculum Grant, New School Choice Slots

CARVER -- April 13, 2026, Carver School Committee accepts $14,700 inquiry curriculum grant and opens first-grade school choice for the first time in years. The committee voted unanimously Monday to accept a grant from the One Eight Foundation to fund three years of professional development for a new inquiry-based social studies curriculum called Investigating History, which will launch in grades six and seven in 2026-2027. The committee also approved five school choice seats in kindergarten and, new this year, first grade, along with five seats each in grades nine through twelve, after Elementary Principal Ruby reported kindergarten projections are already tracking toward 110 to 115 students before late summer registrations. Superintendent Scott Neef summarized four advocacy priorities from the district's March 30 Day on the Hill visit: updating the Chapter 70 inflation formula, securing a $150-per-student minimum aid floor for fiscal year 2027, raising the special education circuit breaker reimbursement rate from 75 to 90 percent, and establishing a commission to review the Chapter 70 formula wholesale. The committee also heard that a global RAM shortage forced a price spike on Chromebook purchases after the original vendor withdrew, requiring a budget transfer to cover the higher cost.