Weston school committee weighs FY26 additions — committee leans toward adding middle‑school sections and a curriculum coordinator with modest contingency

The Weston Public Schools School Committee spent the bulk of its meeting on the proposed FY26 budget, examining staffing requests, enrollment projections and contingency options as administrators asked the committee to decide which positions and sections to fund.

School officials presented prioritized options that would raise the recommended budget from the current 3.31 percent to between about 3.52 percent and 4.42 percent depending on which staffing requests are approved. Committee members discussed adding a Grade 6 section, a Grade 7 section, an additional elementary curriculum coordinator and METCO personnel; the committee signaled agreement to move forward under a package the administration will refine to keep the total increase under 4 percent.

The discussion mattered because the items under review — extra classroom sections, curriculum coordination and METCO staff — affect class sizes, hiring timelines and long‑term recurring personnel costs. Administrators said some increases are time‑sensitive (to attract candidates and preserve program continuity), while others could be added later if move‑ins or enrollment data justify them.

Administrators led by Dr. Zalewski described how the budget book was corrected after a minor cost adjustment and then showed a set of priority bundles. A $26,600 correction reduced an earlier reported increase of 3.36 percent to 3.31 percent, Dr. Zalewski told the committee. She said the highest priorities are a Grade 7 section and an extracurricular coordinator — “If you just add the curriculum coordinator, it’s 3.57%. If you just add the grade 7 section, it’s 3.52%,” she said — and outlined how combining different requests changes the total percentage.

Committee members probed the tradeoffs between immediate needs and long‑term recurring costs. Phil, a district administrator who manages middle school scheduling, explained how added sections change staffing calculations and could require hiring new FTEs or redistributing existing part‑time staff across sections. Administrators emphasized that some positions, such as a third elementary curriculum coordinator, would remain on the budget once added and thus represent a multi‑year commitment.

On METCO supports, administrators said they are reviewing the liaisons’ day‑to‑day duties and the METCO program model before committing to a dedicated METCO social worker or a 0.5 METCO director position. Dr. Zalewski said the district is “reimagining METCO” and needs clearer data and outcomes to decide the mix of academic and social‑work supports to commit to in the operating budget.

Committee members also discussed timing: several members said hiring earlier in the spring would widen the candidate pool, but others warned that locking in sections prematurely would reduce contingency flexibility for special education placements, transportation cost swings or late move‑ins. Members debated whether to use contingency dollars already present in the budget or to increase the contingency line now to preserve administrative flexibility later.

After extended discussion the committee settled on direction rather than a final vote: members signaled broad support for adding the Grade 6 and Grade 7 sections and for funding at least one additional curriculum coordinator, and instructed the administration to return with a refined option that keeps the overall FY26 increase under 4 percent by using contingency and other budget offsets as needed. The committee did not record a formal roll‑call vote on that package during the meeting.

What happens next: administration will produce a revised budget package reflecting the committee’s guidance (the so‑called “option 8” approach discussed in the meeting) for further review; the committee indicated members may submit written questions to the administration ahead of any formal vote.