Fiscal 2022 Budget

Town Budget: Watertown Will Pay for New High School Without Tax Override, Fund to Buy Land to be Created

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Ai3 ArchitectsA view from Columbia Street of what the new Watertown High School could look like. The new Watertown High School will be built without a tax increase from a debt exclusion, Town Manager Michael Driscoll announced during Tuesday night’s presentation of the Fiscal Year 2022 budget. The FY22 budget will total $164.43 million, which is an increase of $976,720 — or 0.6 percent — above the current fiscal year. The budget includes a $1.5 million increase in State Aid from FY21, but does not include an expected $10 million that Watertown will receive as part of the Federal American Rescue Plan Act in FY22 and FY23. High School Funding

Driscoll saved the announcement of the high school project funding to the end of his budget highlights.

Schools

Watertown Student Wins $20K College Scholarship from Thoreau Foundation

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Watertown’s Daysia Charles won the $20,000 Henry David Thoreau Foundation Scholarship. The following announcement was provided by the Henry David Thoreau Foundation:

Daysia J. Charles, a student at the Academy of the Pacific Rim Charter Public School, will be entering college this autumn as a Thoreau Scholar. The scholarship, named for the 19th-century naturalist and author, Henry David Thoreau, is a prestigious award given annually to only eight Massachusetts high school seniors. The daughter of Yolanda Mclean, Daysia and her mother often walked through local arboretums discussing a wide range of topics. When her mother could not provide in-depth answers to Daysia’s many questions, together, they would theorize possible answers.

Schools

MassBay Community College Hosting Virtual Spring Open House

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The following information was provided by MassBay Community College:

MassBay Community College will hold its annual Spring Open House virtually on Saturday, May 1, 2021, from 9:00AM – 12:00PM. President Dr. David Podell along with faculty, staff, students, and alumni will greet prospective students and their families, remotely. Prospective students, from the comfort of their homes, can learn about MassBay’s 70 degree and certificate programs, transfer opportunities after MassBay, free resources available at the college, as well as the admissions and financial aid processes. Prospective students will also be able to apply for admission during the Open House. MassBay will have current students, alumni, and staff available, to live chat and answer any questions visitors might have. WHAT: MassBay Community College Virtual Spring Open House

WHERE: Online

WHEN: Saturday, May 1, 2021

TIME: 9:00AM – 12:00PM

Prospective students must RSVP at www.MassBay.edu/OpenHouse or call the Office of Admissions at 781-239-2500.

Schools

Watertown Student Awarded Highly Selective Scholarship to do Scientific Research

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Middlebury CollegeBen Morris of Watertown has been named a 2021 Goldwater Scholar. The following announcement was provided by Middlebury College:

Ben Morris ’22, a molecular biology and biochemistry major from Watertown, Massachusetts, has been named a 2021 Goldwater Scholar by the Barry Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Foundation. The highly selective scholarship is awarded to sophomores and juniors planning research-focused careers in natural sciences, engineering, or mathematics who were nominated by their home institutions. This year, 410 students received the award from an estimated pool of 5,000 candidates. “The Goldwater Scholarship supports the next generation of outstanding researchers in math, science, and engineering,” said Lisa Gates, associate dean of fellowships and research at Middlebury.

Schools

School Building Committee Delays Submitting High School Project, Looking Closer at Where to Put Temporary Site

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Ai3 ArchitectsA rendering of what a two-story modular building could look like on Moxley Field. It could be the temporary location for Watertown High School while a new school is constructed. The submission of the Watertown High School project to the State has been delayed in an effort to look at where the temporary location of the high school will be during construction. 

The School Building Committee had been scheduled to vote on submitting the plan for the WHS project, including the use of Moxley Field as a site for a temporary school site, on Wednesday. Instead, Town Council President Mark Sideris announced the delay of the submission of the project. 

“We have a number of things we have to work out. A lot of concerns have been raised, and we believe the prudent thing to do is to continue talking, continue investigating and continue to have conversations with people to figure out the best approach that will get us a good high school and a good plan to get to that,” Sideris said. 

The proposal called for building the new high school on the current WHS, and moving the students to a temporary school made up of two-story modular classrooms at Moxley Field.

COVID-19

Watertown School Budget Includes Additional Teachers, Funds to Deal with Impact of Pandemic & Diversity Issues

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The Watertown School Budget for the 2021-22 school year includes an additional fourth grade teacher, additional custodians for the new elementary schools and someone to help with the district’s technology. Superintendent Dede Galdston presented the $53.75 million Fiscal Year 2022 budget to the School Committee Monday night, and the Committee will make a vote on Thursday to approve the budget. It will then be presented to the Town Council later in April as part of the FY22 Town Budget. The budget includes 3.5 percent increase in funds from the town, or $1.81 million. To provide a level-service budget, the same level of services in FY22 as the prior year, will cost $53.53 million, Galdston said, leaving $216,157 in funds for additional positions or programs. Much of the increase will be used on salary increases, additional pay for teachers who moved up a step, and increases to deal with enrollment increases.

Charity

Cunniff School PTO Auctioning Bricks from Old School During Fundraiser

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The Cunniff Elementary School PTO announced a fundraiser where you can get a piece of the old school. The event is open to the public. The silent auction where 40 bricks from the old school building can be bid on will run from April 26 to May 7, and will be he held online at https://www.32auctions.com/cunniffbricks

The following information came from the Cunniff PTO:

Our beautiful new Cunniff school facility is currently being built, though the old school will always hold special memories for former and current Cunniff Cougars. The Cunniff PTO is holding a silent auction featuring bricks from the old Cunniff building, and the proceeds will help raise money for classroom supplies, future field trips, social activities, and classroom enrichment programs for our students. Now is your chance to show your Watertown pride and display a piece of school history in your home!

MassBay Community College

MassBay College Offers Free Workshops for High Schoolers on Academic Success

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The following information was provided by MassBay Community College:

MassBay Community College Office of Corporate Partnership and Workforce Development will offer academic success workshops during April vacation week for local high school students to become familiar with learning in a remote college environment. The three free workshops (descriptions below) will be held on a virtual platform and will cover topics that are frequent barriers to a student’s success. “We want every student to be an academic success story, but not every student has the foundational understanding on how to be successful in college,” said MassBay Director of Corporate Partnerships and Workforce Development, Phara Boyer. “After hearing feedback from our students on how they have been able to do well in their classes during the pandemic, we wanted to share the tips and tricks to ensure high school students entering college learn best practices for their future college experience. We hope high school students will join us for a few hours during their April break and use the content of these workshops to position themselves for a great academic future.”

Here are the workshop dates and descriptions:

The “How to Succeed as a Remote Learner” workshop will explain to students what it means to be a remote and online learner in a college environment, tips for success in remote and online courses, and strategies to optimize learning in a virtual environment.