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Watertown board approves capital contracts, pre-K partnerships and personnel items
Summary
At its June 16 meeting the Watertown board approved capital and FEMA-related contracts with King & King Architects, reserve-account adjustments, multiple universal pre-K provider awards, and a slate of personnel actions including tenure appointments and a director transfer.
The Watertown City School District Board of Education approved a package of contracts, budget adjustments and personnel actions at its June 16 meeting.
Contracts and finance: the board retained King & King Architects LLP for a 2026–27 capital outlay project focused on masonry work at Watertown High School (including the pool chimney stack) and separately approved a contract with King & King for FEMA 406 grant projects tied to flood recovery. Staff told the board FEMA had approved an extension for the district’s project deadlines and that the district expects approximately $14.1 million in FEMA funding; discussion covered project components such as underground water storage tanks and upgrades to aging city water lines. The board also approved adjustments to reserve accounts, including increasing the certiorari reserve (for contested property-assessment claims) and moving $1 million into the $15 million capital reserve approved by voters.
Early childhood and community partnerships: the board awarded universal pre-K contracts (RFP responses) to a group of community providers — including Bright Beginnings Early Learning Center, Community Action Training Council, First Step Daycare Inc., Little Sprouts Child Care Center, New Day Children's Center, Tree House Child Care Center, and Watertown Family YMCA — and authorized the superintendent to execute agreements.
Personnel and operations: the board approved a broad personnel report that included tenure appointments effective Aug. 1, 2026, the transfer of Mrs. Lisa Blain from director of STEM to director of instructional technology (effective July 1) with retained tenure and a STEM stipend, and a two-year athletic trainer employment agreement. Other routine approvals included student trips, a film club advisor appointment, acceptance of several community donations, and appointment of Jamie Lee as community partnerships and strategic communications specialist and Katherine Cook as executive principal (7–12). A non-instructional employment termination was approved as recorded in the personnel packet.
All motions referenced in the public transcript were adopted by voice vote; the transcript records "Motion carries" but does not include roll-call tallies for these items. Board members noted legal review of major contracts and emphasized timing to align training and FEMA deadlines. The board scheduled a public hearing on policy updates for July 7 and added an executive session at the end of the June 16 meeting to discuss personnel matters.
