January 22, 2026 Meeting

• Payment of Bills:
  • 28-2026 Date: 1/12/26 Amount: $545,516.28
  • 29-2026 Date: 1/20/26 Amount: $4,485.70
     
• Approval of Minutes:
  • Policy Subcommittee 12/11/25
  • Organizational Meeting 1/5/26
  • Meeting of the Whole 1/8/26
  • Regular Meeting 1/8/26

Motion by Ms. Graziano to accept the field trips:

• Overnight Field Trip Requests:
  • WHS Model UN Team to North American Invitational Model United Nations (NAIMUN) Conference, Washington, DC, February 12-17, 2026
  • WHS Robotics Team to FIRST Robotics Championships, Houston, TX, April 28 - May 2, 2026

Seconded by Ms. Devine. Motion unanimously passed.

STUDENT COUNCIL PRESENTATION:

Students Manton Du, Charvelle, Ashley and Thomas presented an update on midterms, theatre, clubs/activities, and fundraisers at WHS. New Club proposal process was explained.

Recognition and congratulations were expressed to Manton Du for acceptance to Harvard University.

REPORT OF THE SUPERINTENDENT:

Superintendent Curtin extended congratulations to Kristen Kelly for being appointed Athletic Director.

Kindergarten registration is open on January 26, 2026.

Mayor Molisse and Chief of Staff Langill attended last night's budget sub meeting. The Superintendent and Assistant Superintendent meet with the Mayor monthly. The administration is being transparent however it’s still early in the process, primary schools are the last to present proposed FY27 budgets at the next budget sub meeting on 2/4/26. The Governor’s budget will be released shortly.

The first strategic planning meeting consisting of 18 members will kick off on Wednesday the 28th. Focus will be to identify areas/things valued most in Weymouth with either a growing or reduced budget in mind.

At the next budget sub meeting of 2/4 will review scenarios of level service and below level service. The next budget meeting will be 2/25 with hopefully a clearer picture of what the budget may look like. The March 4th budget sub meeting will review fees and strategic planning priorities and March 12, 2026 will be the public hearing of the FY27 budget. The school budget will be presented to Town Council on May 12, 2026. More information to come.

SCHOOL COMMITTEE SUB-COMMITTEE REPORT

Members attend other meetings outside of school committee days. Updates of other committees:

a. Budget Sub-Committee - Danielle Graziano
The meeting of 1/14/26 discussed the Alison Trust, athletic sponsorship, transportation contract, generating revenues and FY27 budget proposals from Curriculum, Health, Student Services & Operations. The meeting of 1/21/26 discussed FY27 budget scenarios from WHS, CTE, Athletics, Chapman, and EdTech. The Mayor and Chief of Staff attended. The next meeting is 2/4/26 with primary school FY27 budget proposals.

Point of Privilege by the Chair was taken with a statement:

After last night's meeting I was very encouraged to have so many community members, educators, and town administrators at the table to openly discuss the very real challenges of declining revenue in the town. I appreciate the significant work that goes into forecasting, and I'm very grateful that we're starting this process so early in allowing for a clearer understanding of what lies ahead. That being said, I would be remiss if I did not share my concerns regarding the talk of the build-out of Union Point as one of the biggest solutions to our revenue problem. While it is exciting to see progress, and to have the support from the state on this, my concern is that the growth, though beneficial for increasing town revenue, will place additional strains on our schools before the comprehensive plan is in place to address the impact. The reality of how to support the schools often comes later, once the growth has already occurred. I also do not believe in pinning one town department against another. We all rely and value essential services such as police, fire, DPW, and others. However, the school department is the largest department in the town, and it is fundamentally people-driven. Proper funding is critical. We often say that students need to be in the seats for learning to happen, but it's equally important to ensure that the teachers are in those classrooms to do the teaching. No one wants layoffs, no one wants cuts to services of any kind. We heard from the town that the revenues are down. Weymouth is a huge town, and it's clear the revenues aren't keeping up with the town's needs. Like many other communities facing similar challenges, we must begin to think outside the box and explore solutions, not just for the short term, but for the long term. And one opinion, I believe, is the community should be seriously thinking of considering a Proposition 2.5 override. I believe it's time to pay a little bit more for what we need. Having one of the lowest tax rates isn't a feather in our cap if our schools and other town services are going to suffer for it. As a school committee member who's sat here for 12 years, I cannot and will not accept a 1% increase to our school budget. It's just not enough. Doing so would mean that we are not fulfilling our responsibility as elected officials for the schools. I hope the next few weeks and months, that we can collectively pull our heads together and find solutions that work for all of Weymouth. I just want to say thank you very much for giving me the opportunity to speak on this.

In light of the Chair’s statement Ms. Devine invited the Education Committee Town Councilors Palazzo, Sherlock-Shangraw, DeFazio, Matthews and Happel to join in the transparency and work through the budget at the same table together.

b. Collective Bargaining Sub-Committee - Tracey Nardone
Meetings are happening every other week and negotiations are ongoing for satisfying contracts.

c. Policy Sub-Committee - Mary-Ellen Devine
The next meeting is February 5, 2026 at Abigail Adams and agenda items so far are Wellness, Games of Chance, AI, and the school committee handbook

d. Athletics Sub-Committee - Mary-Ellen Devine, Kelly McClean
There may be a meeting earlier than the planned May 14 meeting

e. Wellness Committee - Kelly McClean
No updates at this time

f. SEPAC - Danielle Graziano
MA Advocates for Children presented on education rights of immigrant and multilingual families at the 1/20 meeting with a Portuguese Interpreter. Baystate Interpreters will be supporting families interpretation. Unified Games planning will begin 1/30/26 as well as Resource Fair planning.

NEW BUSINESS

a. Vote to accept William Alison Trust Gift (Action Requested)-Assistant Superintendent Smith
Alison Trust has given a donation of $100K for CTE WHS students’ continuing ed and skills. The trust gift amount is $100K and will be managed by WHS and Principal Monahan for scholarships for music and CTE students to further their trade for higher education and skills training. It was passed by the Town Council on 12/15, signed by the Mayor on 12/17 and presented at the 1/14 budget sub meeting.

Motion by Ms. Graziano to accept the William Alison Trust Gift. Seconded by Ms. Devine. Motion passed unanimously.

PUBLIC COMMENT
In accordance with Policy BEDH.

-Gus Perez, Hewitt St.
Echoed the thoughts of the Chair and requested realistic communication regarding the reality of the budget.

Announcements:

-Budget Subcommittee: February 4, 2026, at 6 p.m., Adams
-Policy Subcommittee: February 5, 2026, at 5 p.m., Adams
-Town Wide Parent Council: February 10, 2026, at 7 p.m., WHS
-SEPAC: February 17, 2026 via Zoom, presentation disability history and inclusion
-Ms. Dickerman hosting constituent coffee hour at S. Weymouth Starbucks at 3 pm, Sunday, 1/25-weather dependent

Thanks were expressed for the Chesna Foundations Soccer Tournament on 12/29 raising ~$10K for WHS gate fees

Next School Committee Meeting:
Regular Meeting: Thursday, February 12, 2026 - 7:00 p.m.

The Meeting adjourned at 6:31pm on the motion by Ms. Graziano and seconded by Ms. Devine. Motion passed unanimously.