[{"_1":2,"_100":-5,"_101":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76,88],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6392928,"mediaKeyId","2108700-fcf0247371f2aa13ba13ed79363e3bc5","parentId",2108700,"title","Committee reviews FY26 maintenance-of-effort budget; approves athletic-fee increase and backs longer food-service contract","audioSeconds",1453,"startMs",4472000,"endMs",5925000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2108700-fcf0247371f2aa13ba13ed79363e3bc5&start=4472&end=5925","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2108700-fcf0247371f2aa13ba13ed79363e3bc5/thumbnail_4472000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6392928/Massachusetts/Committee-reviews-FY26-maintenance-of-effort-budget-approves-athletic-fee-increase-and-backs-longer-food-service-contract","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6392928-712686eaaf2885777aa11ad7e47bd041/orig.mp4?Expires=1775332723&Signature=A2LdbkYEjcsnJko9bjqbcAJFIr4qFN9aQZtXYVxN09NJiRk-YBAbeN8US29p0fMzaOagPE2HGG-DZYDPRpAW8uqhRsfMFibYdUaBSyTenTlBa7BNNefHPgiZkZFtfeD4vXk5Xrsg-jsir4DJmUXxY0ohrXVyEg0-zSAAPCizmxB4rRDB4wPgom~yfTBK6ycHemT3rPeqH6WvMN1YUSpiPj5cdaYdRv3Gh-2hxIT159CMCBo8ueIWqt2Ar1FmbHHSkeMVUTCsB8k8ogAPI9JftRFhhsGdCmT0YHLkQZYCNQK3LNgTKvPtPezB4H6WNJNmpZDsh7YAIBdCXnzhe9OmKQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Winchester Public Schools, MA","date","2025-01-13T18:52:41Z","article","Winchester School Committee members on Jan. 9 received a preliminary maintenance-of-effort budget for fiscal 2026 and approved a proposed increase to athletic participation fees for the 2025–26 school year.

Finance staff presented a draft FY26 maintenance-of-effort budget that projects a 5.84% increase over last year, roughly $3.8 million, driven by contractual step/column changes, transportation and special-education placement inflation. The district said it will continue reviewing department-level requests and special-education placements and that negotiations with five bargaining units this year remain an input to the final budget.

The finance subcommittee reported that it recommends raising per-sport fees from the current level by $50 to $400 per student per sport and setting an annual family cap of $1,400. The full committee voted unanimously to approve the athletic fee schedule for FY26. Committee members and staff said hardship relief remains available through free-and-reduced-price eligibility and that administrators will monitor how the cap interacts with multi‑sport families.

The committee also discussed the district’s food service management contract. The finance subcommittee recommended pursuing a five‑year contract term with Whitsons (the district’s food-service provider) to allow amortization of planned capital investments such as an upgraded washing/dish line at McCall. The subcommittee noted the contract process must follow state procurement rules and require both School Committee and Select Board approval because of the multi‑year term. The School Committee gave consensus to pursue the five‑year procurement process and asked administration to return with contract language and a timeline; the committee did not take a final vote that evening.

Separately, administrators noted operational details: projected special-education inflation guidance of 3.67% used in FY26 numbers, an organizational housekeeping move to track general-education transportation separately, and continued review of departmental supply and equipment needs before a final budget proposal.

The committee directed administrators to continue refining the FY26 budget, consult with the finance subcommittee and return with more detail ahead of the public hearing and subsequent hearings with town finance bodies.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Winchester School Committee Meeting 1-9-25","oneSentenceSummary","Administrators presented a preliminary FY26 maintenance-of-effort budget showing a 5.84% increase. The committee approved an athletic-fee increase and the finance subcommittee recommended pursuing a five-year food-service contract; the latter requires select-board approval.","taxTitle","Winchester Public Schools, School Boards, Massachusetts","taxId",71055,"location","Massachusetts","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6392933,"District to develop local competency plan after state removes MCAS graduation requirement",330,3505000,3835000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2108700-fcf0247371f2aa13ba13ed79363e3bc5&start=3505&end=3835","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2108700-fcf0247371f2aa13ba13ed79363e3bc5/thumbnail_3505000.jpg","/articles/6392933/Massachusetts/District-to-develop-local-competency-plan-after-state-removes-MCAS-graduation-requirement","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6392933-a55f79cf366a104e2dfe31d3c5134c18/orig.mp4?Expires=1775332723&Signature=FCGsU0vaC5yH9qWlWEWCOEApxTtff-hShU5OXQfgrsUBsV9TEvGi4AGXx32SS8W6S-RQ9Lv5bf6dlHULzG7Jf5pCBPOPPkGI20ZbF21m8Na2hiTNaJ8hbv0bumJTIgr6drSlWBUKe0JuwUwC0npWoz1RLn5KJ0K3DZNsySHWl-AqS3q0HPGcDf~zuKFFiA6w2n-FRBeL5m1lnLTvw3kOI7RMILr60PD5vLvF66TwDlujcDZ4FuEoy2ejAg2-K3ipRhHUskezjq~ZM1LRnrGH7JkIyfniIWe5Dks0ivLt3cXzfF0qQc819im6eUE5QpQQJDDyrcIZlD-i1qubQFIswg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Administrators briefed the Winchester School Committee on Jan. 9 about state changes affecting the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS) and the need for the district to define a local competency determination for graduation.

Dr. Alonema, the district presenter, summarized the current situation: the referendum removed the 10th-grade MCAS as the state-mandated competency determinant and left a transitional period in which districts must certify competency locally. “There is still a lot to be discussed,” Dr. Alonema told the committee, adding that guidelines from the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) were expected but that the legal allocation of authority among the legislature, the state board and DESE remained unresolved.

District staff told committee members that very few current seniors lack an accepted competency determination; for students who had already met the MCAS-based competency by Jan. 6, that determination stands. For students with alternate MCAS portfolios already accepted, administrators said those accepted portfolios would still count for current seniors. The district will propose a short-term local certification for the class of 2025 and possibly for 2026 while state-level responsibilities are clarified.

Administrators proposed an internal timeline: draft recommendations to the policy subcommittee by late January, a first reading at the school committee in early February, and a second reading and vote by late February so affected students, families and schools have timely notice. Committee members asked the administration to consult disability-advocacy groups and special-education parent advisory committees as the district develops the policy, and to prepare for the possibility that DESE guidance could become more prescriptive later.

The committee did not vote on a final policy; members expressed general support for the proposed timeline and directed administrators to return with a draft for formal review and vote.","Following a state referendum that removed the 10th-grade MCAS as the statewide graduation competency, Winchester administrators said the district will draft a local competency determination for 2025 graduates and present recommendations to the policy subcommittee for school committee approval.",{"_33":89,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":90,"_41":91,"_43":92,"_45":93,"_47":94,"_49":95,"_51":96,"_53":97,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":98,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":99,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6392938,"Winchester committee agrees to pursue vape detectors in high school bathrooms",804,1291000,2095000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2108700-fcf0247371f2aa13ba13ed79363e3bc5&start=1291&end=2095","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2108700-fcf0247371f2aa13ba13ed79363e3bc5/thumbnail_1291000.jpg","/articles/6392938/Massachusetts/Winchester-committee-agrees-to-pursue-vape-detectors-in-high-school-bathrooms","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6392938-1cdedbc4b2a5a1b5b1499db9a91ea6d4/orig.mp4?Expires=1775332723&Signature=Ii0yNqpYUJwDLpj4Tq47ItueLj4XJHkgL6XanntYtmj~bscI2hk3VbVArBhj43zphBN7L~vpj5z8qlIUyzAn6EYbvf8xAifId3OxE76RdfMO6aNokWakS60Yqvy14sPg8hTyy2E9eNE9VLDRN9B-zvOmV5vY473QH-1xK6uiw0mEDikEBD-sfUssgpMbFpESNIuvLjNHe30O0bk4iCtVV71Uak2opk1njbAys7owLvnSsJB6giJY467LlnhEAaWVML~EZITAqGKQURqrvtOTLk0GrmcTv8-6X-hxw8~5cXCyXoho43ikcPNKyWGqm64EkTzkG~HQAcpuzQ3HnT3d1A__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Winchester School Committee on Jan. 9 gave general consent for school staff to proceed with planning the installation of wireless vape detectors in multistall restrooms at Winchester High School and to coordinate with the Select Board and town offices on funding and next steps.

School administrators and community partners described repeated incidents of vaping in bathroom stalls, said the detectors would provide time-stamped alerts to administrators, and argued detectors would reduce the number of hidden locations where students can vape. “It removes 14 spaces in our building where students can vape undetected,” said Anna Paradise, dean of students at Winchester High School, who led the school’s presentation with Dot Butler of the Coalition For A Safer Community.

Paradise and Butler told the committee that the district researched products used in neighboring districts and proposed adaptive, wireless units that mount with a handful of screws and run on rechargeable batteries. Principal Dennis Mahoney said the units would report alerts to administrators’ computers or phones and would allow staff to time-stamp the event and check hallway cameras outside the restroom for identification. He also said the detectors include a loud alarm that can indicate other emergencies in a stall.

Committee members raised technical and practical questions about the devices’ effectiveness in multi-stall bathrooms, independent laboratory testing of vendor claims, installation locations and potential costs if additional units were required. “What I want to look for for any technology we’re putting in our buildings is where’s the independent lab testing to prove that it’s actually effective?” said committee member Chris Nixon, citing specifications he found on the vendor website noting recommended ceiling heights and room volumes.

Administrators and the presenters acknowledged those limits. Paradise said the company will evaluate the district’s bathrooms and recommend the number and placement of devices; the committee asked that vendor representatives meet with district staff before purchase. The proposal before the committee asked for initial funding routed through the town’s Winchester Hospital gift fund; Paradise said the invoice total in the current quote was roughly $16,000 and that a Select Board request had asked for $14,480 from the Winchester Hospital fund toward the purchase. Paradise also said the school included a three-year software/license component in the quote to allow a proof-of-concept period before any recurring cost decisions.

Rather than a formal roll-call vote, the committee registered consensus that Paradise, Butler and principal Mahoney should proceed to work with the Select Board and town staff on the vendor assessment, procurement steps and final funding details. Committee members asked that the district secure the vendor’s placement recommendations and any independent performance data and return with a final purchase request or revised quote for a formal vote.

The committee’s action directs administrators to continue the vendor review, share placement and testing information with the committee, and coordinate with the Select Board on the proposed use of funds from the Winchester Hospital gift fund.","After months of internal work and reports from school staff, the Winchester School Committee gave consensus to pursue installing wireless vape detectors in Winchester High School bathrooms and to work with the Select Board and town on funding and installation details.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Committee reviews FY26 maintenance-of-effort budget; approves athletic-fee increase and backs longer food-service contract

District to develop local competency plan after state removes MCAS graduation requirement

Winchester committee agrees to pursue vape detectors in high school bathrooms