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School Committee

Meetings of the School Committee are open to the public. MeetingWatch transcribes and analyzes every session.

2 members 17 meetings tracked 62% responsive ↘ Latest Jun 26 History since Feb 2026
Recent activity
Last meetings at a glance.
Jun 26 · Routine › Jun 15 · Routine › Jun 8 · Routine › Jun 1 · Heated › May 18 · Spirited ›
Community responsiveness
62% ↘ declining
53 addressed · 7 partial · 31 unaddressed
Browse the School Committee — choose a section
17 analyzed, most recent first
Friday, June 26, 2026
Special Education Improvement Strategy — District-wide strategy affecting IEP processes, inclusion rates, and service delivery through 2027
15 public comments 5 decisions 15 not addressed Routine Other High Impact
Impact to date: charts on staff diversity, chronic absenteeism, AP enrollment, i-Ready ELA/Math
Monday, June 15, 2026
busing-fee-and-service-changes — Updated rules on personal devices, discipline table, and bus fees
2 decisions Routine Other High Impact
Level 3 Suspensions policy excerpt from WMS Handbook
Monday, June 8, 2026
The subcommittee conducted standard policy reviews and updates with unanimous approvals and no public comment.
4 decisions Routine
Table of trends/patterns in seclusion incidents
Monday, June 1, 2026
The meeting was marked by a high-stakes public forum where residents presented a large petition and made serious allegations against district administration.
7 decisions Heated Service Reduction
Director of Student Services Transition Plan title slide
Monday, May 18, 2026
The meeting was marked by high tension due to serious allegations of legal non-compliance and requests for leadership removal from the community.
4 public comments 3 not addressed Spirited Service Reduction
Monday, May 4, 2026
Special Education and Multilingual Learner Services — Systemic changes to service eligibility, transition management, and equity protocols.
Routine Other High Impact
Monday, April 13, 2026
FY27 Bus Transportation Fee Increase — Increase to $500 per student with a $750 family cap.
3 public comments 4 decisions 1 not addressed Routine Fee Change
Friday, April 10, 2026
Modernization of School Facility Rental Fees — Potential increase in costs for community groups based on new benchmarked fee schedules.
1 public comment 1 decision Routine Fee Change
Tuesday, March 31, 2026
Access to Buildings and Grounds Policy — Redefines school property to include bus stops/buses and sets legal parameters for public use of school grounds.
2 decisions Routine Other High Impact
Thursday, March 26, 2026
FY2027 Superintendent's Budget — A balanced budget of $64,590,019 involving staffing adjustments and expense reductions.
2 decisions Routine Other High Impact
Tuesday, March 24, 2026
The meeting was marked by high tension stemming from community accusations of a lack of transparency and 'blindsiding' regarding new policy drafts.
13 public comments 3 decisions 8 not addressed Spirited Other High Impact
Monday, March 23, 2026
The meeting was marked by heavy testimony regarding systemic failures in special education, including allegations of retaliation and a loss of community trust.
12 public comments 7 decisions 1 not addressed Spirited Other High Impact
Monday, March 16, 2026
The meeting featured split votes on key financial matters and explicit dissent regarding the adequacy of information provided for decision-making.
4 decisions Spirited Fee Change
Monday, March 9, 2026
FY27 Budget Deficit and Balancing — $2.5 million deficit requiring significant prioritization and potential staffing adjustments.
25 public comments 1 decision 3 not addressed Routine Budget Cut
Tuesday, March 3, 2026
The meeting was marked by high-stakes discussions regarding special education failures, skepticism from board members about administrative effectiveness, and pointed community critiques.
5 public comments 2 decisions Spirited Other High Impact
Monday, March 2, 2026
FY27 Budget Deficit and Balancing — A projected $2.5 million deficit being addressed through attrition, fee reinstatements, and service trimming.
Routine Budget Cut
Wednesday, February 25, 2026
Athletics and Extracurricular Activity Fees — Potential increase or reinstatement of fees to cover rising district costs.
2 decisions Routine Fee Change

Board ⁠members

Current and former members. Click to view voting record.
Jessica Middlebrook
0% attendance
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Sheila Kirshen
25% attendance 4 votes
4Y
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+ 5 former members
Justin Middlebrook Amy Donahue Sheila Kirshen Kendra Foley Sheila Krishnan

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