Fiscal Year 2023 Budget

FY23 Watertown School Budget Adds Funds for Several Positions

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The Watertown Public Schools budget for Fiscal Year 2023 will include a 3.5 percent increase, and planned additions for the 2022-23 school year include funding for equity coordinators, drama and music teachers, assistant principals and a family engagement and communication specialist. The total budget will be $55.63 million, which is a $1.88 million increase from the previous fiscal year, said Superintendent Dede Galdston, who presented her recommended budget to the School Committee Monday night at the meeting held at Cunniff Elementary School. Most of the increase, about 80 percent, will go to providing a level-service budget, Galdston said, which is maintaining the programs and services provided during the current school year. The remaining funds, $370,835, will mostly be spent on new staff and positions. No budget area has increase significantly, Galdston said, but the Administration and Curriculum budget appears to be much higher than FY22 (46.8 percent more).

Schools

School Committee Approves Making Masks Optional in Watertown Schools

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Almost two years to the day after schools shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Watertown students will be able to go to class without wearing a face mask. Monday night, the School Committee approved Superintendent Dede Galdston’s plan to make masks optional and a set of metrics to decide if they will be required in the future. Galston noted that March 13, 2020 was the date that school in Massachusetts closed in the beginning of the Pandemic, and two years later students will be able to choose not to wear a mask. She also stressed that teachers and staff will emphasize that students will be respected and accepted regardless of whether or not they choose to wear a face mask. The change in mask rules will be finalized this week, Galdston said, after the latest student and staff testing results are received.

Schools

Committee to Study Vocational Education Finalized, Will Get Help from Consultant

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The ad hoc committee that will study vocational and career education available to Watertown students will have four members of the public, and a consultant will assist members. The Vocational, Technical, and Career Education Options Ad Hoc Committee will have a total of nine members, and will meet monthly from February to June. Ultimately, it will come up with recommendations to the School Committee. The committee was formed after access to Minuteman High School was reduced for Watertown students after the vocational school opened its new campus in September 2019. Watertown is not a member district, but instead pays tuition for students to attend the school located in Lexington.

CTE

Committee Looking at Vocational, Technical Education to Include Parents & Residents

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The Watertown Public Schools will form a committee to look at the options for vocational and technical education available inside and outside the district, and the group will include parents and community members. For many years, Watertown has sent dozens of students to Minuteman High School in Lexington for vocational and technical education. Superintendent Dede Galdston said that the City is not part of the Minuteman High School District, but rather pays tuition for each resident to attend. “Watertown is a non-member, tuition-paying entity for Minuteman, which has worked for decades, but that changed with new (Minuteman) school — there are not as many students who can go to Minuteman,” Galdston said. Other vocational schools in the area, including Medford and Somerville, have vocational programs which are open to students who do not live in the district.

City Council

Watertown Councilors, School Committee & Library Trustees Sworn-In at City Hall

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Charlie BreitroseMembers of the Watertown City Council take the oath from City Clerk Janet Murphy on Monday night. Most years, the swearing-in of Watertown’s newly elected officials is part of an inauguration ceremony in a large venue with many guests, but with COVID-19 the 2022 event was an intimate affair. The winners of the November 2021 election were sworn in by City Clerk Janet Murphy in the Council Chamber in City Hall Monday night. Charlie BreitroseAfter her swearing-in, Library Trustee Sara Keary poses with City Manager Michael Driscoll, left, and City Council President Mark Sideris. Some family members were on hand for the ceremony, but the Chamber was not full even when eight City Councilors took the oath.

Government

Watertown’s Inauguration Ceremony Canceled Due to Increasing COVID Cases

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Watertown City Hall

The Watertown inauguration ceremony has been cancelled due to increasing cases of COVID-19, but the newly-elected officials will still be sworn-in on Jan. 3. City Council President Mark Sideris announced the cancellation on Tuesday. “It is with great regret and with an abundance of caution that we will be cancelling the inauguration that was scheduled for Jan. 3rd,” Sideris said in a statement.

Schools

John Portz Says Farewell to School Committee After 16 Years, Also Served on Town Council

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Northeastern UniversityJohn Portz retired from the School Committee in December after 16 years. He also served eight years as a Town Councilor. School Committee Chair John Portz oversaw his final meeting earlier this month, ending not only 16 years on the School Committee but more than 25 years serving the residents of Watertown. At the Dec. 4 meeting, Portz’s colleagues paid tribute to his dedication to the students of Watertown, his steady leadership, and for focusing on working as a team.

Around Town

Watertown Inauguration Will Take Place at the Mosesian Center in January

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Watertown’s newly elected officials will be sworn in at an inauguration ceremony to be held at the Mosesian Center for the Arts. The inauguration includes the City Council President, eight City Councilors, three members of the School Committee and three members of the Board of Library Trustees. The ceremony is free and open to the public and will begin at 7 p.m. on Monday, Jan. 3, 2022. The City of Watertown sent out the following announcement:

The City of Watertown requests the honor of your presence to attend and participate in the Inauguration of the City Council, School Committee, and Library Board of Trustees, on Monday, the third of January, Two Thousand and Twenty-Two, at the Dorothy and Charles Mosesian Center for the Arts located at 321 Arsenal Street, Watertown, Massachusetts, at Ceremony at Seven O’clock in the evening.