PEMBROKE - September 1, 2026 - On the eve of the 2026–2027 school year, the Pembroke School Committee met Tuesday to hear building principals report on facility overhauls, curriculum pilots, and new classroom phone restrictions, while committee members advanced state-mandated policies regulating law enforcement access in district buildings and approved a 3% salary increase for Superintendent Erin Obey.
The Full Story
Gathering at North Pembroke Elementary School just hours after back-to-school open houses welcomed families across the district, the Pembroke School Committee received comprehensive opening-day briefings from administrators spanning elementary grades through high school.
At Pembroke High School, Principal Marc Talbot detailed a series of facility enhancements, including repainted gym walls in “Pembroke blue,” refurbished athletic flooring, and pending carpet installations. High school enrollment stands at 678 students, including 167 freshmen. Talbot underscored that unlike neighboring communities facing contractions, Pembroke added positions across departments:
22 new faces joined the high school staff, including 12 classroom teachers, 5 paraprofessionals, 4 office personnel, and 1 custodian, filling vacancies from retirements, departures, and newly unfrozen positions.
The high school is implementing built-in common planning time for educators once every seven-day rotation cycle to fulfill accreditation priorities identified by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC).
Advanced Placement (AP) participation expanded, with 36% of high school students taking at least one AP exam and nearly 80% attaining qualifying scores of 3 or higher.
Talbot also outlined two immediate operational changes aimed at student engagement: an electronic hall pass system to track building movement, and an updated cell phone rule requiring students to place devices into assigned, numbered classroom wall caddies upon entering class until the bell rings. Medical exceptions, such as continuous monitoring for students with Type 1 diabetes, are coordinated individually with school staff.
At the elementary and middle school levels, administrators outlined significant infrastructure upgrades and academic rollouts:
Hobomock Elementary: Rooftop HVAC replacement completed over the summer now supplies functioning air conditioning across the building. The school fully staffed a specialized social-emotional learning program serving four students in grades 2 and 3, supported by a full-time special education teacher, a registered behavior technician (RBT), a shared board certified behavior analyst (BCBA), and a newly hired district-wide RBT.
Bryantville and North Pembroke Elementary: North Pembroke housed summer programs including Camp Invention and the YMCA, while Bryantville completed gym ceiling and floor restorations following past roof replacements. Both schools received upgraded kitchen steamers.
Curriculum Updates: The FOSS science program is expanding district-wide across grades 1 through 6, while grade 6 social studies classes are rolling out the “Investigating History” inquiry-based curriculum. About 40 elementary teachers will continue piloting the Simplified Writing curriculum.
Pembroke Community Middle School (PCMS): Principal Donna McGarrigle announced the launch of an embedded orchestra program scheduled during the school day for 7th and 8th graders, as well as a student recognition initiative titled “Don’t Meet the Standard, Raise the Standard”.
