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Westfield board approves personnel slate, accepts donations and moves to issue $125.8M for referendum phase
Summary
During routine action items on June 16 the Westfield Board of Education approved minutes, a personnel slate including one retirement, accepted donations totalling approximately $56,000, and voted to authorize issuing $125.8 million as the next phase of a previously voter-approved referendum; the board then entered executive session.
At its June 16 meeting the Westfield Board of Education approved a series of routine agenda items including minutes, personnel appointments and retirements, acceptance of donations, and a finance authorization related to the voter-approved referendum.
The board approved the May 12, 2026 regular meeting minutes and executive session minutes by voice vote. Governance items on the agenda were moved and approved in roll-call fashion; the transcript records the individual roll-call for governance items, with Julie Steinberg voting no on governance item A and yes on item B while other named members voted in the affirmative.
Personnel items A through RR were moved and approved; the board recognized the retirement of Lisa Morazzo from the transportation department and recorded affirmative roll-call votes for the personnel slate. Finance chair Kent Diamond reported that the finance committee recommended authorizing the issuance of $125.8 million of the voter-approved referendum (rather than issuing the full $225 million authorization) to fund the next phase of construction and limit interest costs. The committee also noted summer project schedules (about 40 projects across 10 schools) and recommended documentation (before-and-after photos) and commissioning services to verify systems performance prior to acceptance.
The board accepted several donations that evening totaling approximately $56,000 in support of music programs, equipment and site improvements; year-to-date donations reported were approximately $563,335.71. The board also approved several policy and curriculum items on first and second reading, and moved to executive session to discuss confidential matters including the superintendent's evaluation.
Votes at a glance (as recorded in the public transcript): minutes approved by voice vote; governance items A and B: roll-call recorded with one recorded dissent (Julie Steinberg voted no on A, yes on B); personnel and finance slates approved by recorded roll-call affirmations; specific numerical tallies beyond individual roll-call entries were not exhaustively itemized for each motion in the public minutes.
What happens next: The district indicated it will proceed with referendum phase financing to fund next-year construction. Execution details (bond issuance schedule, exact amounts to be sold) and any additional board actions would appear in subsequent finance committee materials and board agendas.
