Pepperell School Committee advances Hood School modular plan, approves 2026-27 calendar

PEPPERELL -- May 18, 2026, Pepperell School Committee advances modular school replacement plan and approves next year's meeting calendar. Meeting on May 18, the committee voted unanimously to approve its 2026-2027 calendar, moving the November meeting to November 30 to avoid Thanksgiving week, and unanimously approved an amended legislative support letter backing House bill H4361, updated to reflect the bill's Senate status. The bulk of discussion centered on the Hood School building project, where a modular classroom replacement is emerging as the preferred alternative to the MSBA state-building track; committee members described the vendor's cost estimates as "so attractive" compared to the MSBA feasibility phase alone, with bathroom additions to individual classrooms estimated at roughly $1,500 per room. A May 29 meeting with the MSBA is set as the district enters the eligibility period June 1, and a formal modular warrant article is expected at fall Town Meeting. The committee also accepted three donations totaling $3,008, including $2,000 from North Reading Youth Football and Cheer for new cheerleading mats, and heard year-end presentations from Pepperell High School and the Little School, including a student-designed product called Chill Silk, a kinesiology tape infused with cooling gel developed for injured dancers.