Schools

LEGAL POSTING: Watertown School Committee Holding Public Hearing on Fiscal Year 2026 Budget

By |

The following legal posting was provided by the Watertown Public Schools (originally posted on March 7):

WATERTOWN PUBLIC SCHOOLS, 30 COMMON STREET WATERTOWN MA 02472 – In Accordance with provisions of Chapter 71, Section 38N, the Watertown School Committee will hold a Public Hearing on its proposed Fiscal Year 2026 Budget on Monday, March 24, 2025 at 7:00 PM in the Learning Commons, Lowell Elementary School, 123 Lowell Avenue, Watertown, MA 02472 or via Zoom at https://watertown-k12-ma-us.zoom.us/j/86285942047

A copy of the FY2026 Proposed Budget will be available to the public in the Office of the Superintendent of Schools and on the Watertown Public Schools Website, www.watertown.k12.ma.us , forty-eight hours before the date of the public meeting.

Schools

School Committee Update: Support of LGBTQ Students & Staff, Possible Budget Shortfall

By |

The School Committee update was provided by the School Committee Chair Kendra Foley:

The Watertown School Committee has had a busy start to 2025, with three meetings in the last six weeks that have been filled with reports, votes, and action items.

In the face of executive orders that threaten the safety, security, health, and humanity of the LGBTQ community, our committee unanimously reaffirmed our 2018 resolution supporting LGBTQ students and staff. Every student and staff member of the WPS community is entitled to an environment that feels safe, respectful, and welcoming, in which they can learn and work free from bullying, harassment, intimidation, threats, and violence. The WPS School Committee is committed to providing such an environment, and it will stand up to actions made by individuals or institutions to threaten, intimidate, or harm transgender and gender nonconforming students and staff. This commitment is grounded not only in our shared values but also in our adherence to Massachusetts General Law, Chapter 76, Section 5, which ensures that “no person shall be excluded or discriminated against in our schools based on race, color, sex, gender identity, religion, national origin, or sexual orientation.”

Budget season is underway. Initial numbers show that, with the city’s annual 3.5 percent funding increase, WPS would still be on pace for a shortfall of $495,000 to meet a level services budget.

Schools

School Committee Update: Teacher Honored, Field Hockey Team Recognized, Enrollment Rising

By |

Watertown’s State Champion Field Hockey Team was honored by the School Committee. (Courtesy of Watertown Field Hockey)

Watertown School Committee Chair Kendra Foley provided a round up of the most recent School Committee meeting. See what happened below. There has been much to celebrate over the last month at our Watertown School Committee meetings. We were thrilled to honor Cunniff music teacher Liz Schorr, who was recently chosen as the Massachusetts Down Syndrome Congress Educator of the Year.

Schools

City Council Suggesting New WHS Auditorium be Named After Former Town Manager

By |

Ai3 ArchitectsA rendering of the designs for the new Watertown High School viewed from Columbia Street. The City Council joined the people submitting suggested names for facilities at the new Watertown High School by submitting the name of the man who enabled the City of Watertown to build the new school without a tax increase. On Tuesday, the City Council voted to allow City Council President Mark Sideris to send a letter on behalf of the Council suggesting that the auditorium be named after former Town and City Manager Michael Driscoll. “I do think it is appropriate for a number of reasons,” Sideris said. “Michael Driscoll was the author of many of the things that went on in this community and the new high school, as well as the two new elementary schools, would not be going on right now if not for his guidance to this Council and the community and the School Committee on how to approach this.”

Schools

Suggestions Wanted for Names of New High School Gym & Auditorium

By |

Ai3 ArchitectsA rendering of the designs for the new Watertown High School viewed from Columbia Street. The School Committee seeks recommendations from the public for what to name the gym and auditorium at the new Watertown High School. People can send in their ideas to School Committee Chair Kendra Foley, she said at Monday’s School Committee meeting. “I’d like to invite members of the community to make any suggestions for names of the new high school gym and auditorium. Those suggestions should be sent to me at kendra.foley@watertown.k12.ma.us,” Foley said.

Schools

Watertown High School Students Could Sit on School Committee

By |

The sign for the temporary Watertown High School at PFC Ricard Moxley Field. (Courtesy by City of Watertown)

Members of the School Committee may have Watertown High School students sitting with them during meetings, and the students may even be able to propose motions at meetings if policy changes being considered by the Committee are approved. Currently, WSH has two student representatives, who typically provide updates on student life at the high school, including the flow of the academic year and updates on extracurricular activities. A proposed change to the Watertown Public Schools’ policies would give the students a more significant role, School Committee Vice Chair Lily Rayman Read said at the Aug. 26 School Committee meeting.

Schools

School Committee Member Rachel Kay Hosting Office Hours at Filippello Park

By |

Watertown School Committee member Rachel Kay announced she will be available to meet with the public during office hours on Friday, June 7 from 4-5 p.m. She also moved the location of the office hours, see info below. A quick update on Friday’s office hour. I discovered that Filippello Park’s Splash Pad is re-opening at the same time! Thus I’m moving my office hour this week to the picnic tables near the spray park. Look for me sitting with a clipboard (and hopefully enjoying some Ben and Jerry’s!).