Wayland School Committee approves $1.2M capital plan, closes $48K in old projects

WAYLAND -- October 18, 2023, Wayland School Committee approves $1.2 million FY25 capital plan and closes nearly $48,000 in stale projects. Facilities Director Ben Keefe and Director of Finance and Operations Susan Bottan reshuffled the Finance Committee-approved five-year plan, postponing a $215,000 district-wide flooring request to FY27 to make room for a failed middle school automatic transfer switch, a high school water heater, cafeteria tables and auditorium lighting upgrades. The town and schools are pooling roughly $288,000 in school feasibility funds with $100,000 in municipal funds for a town-wide facilities study. Keefe said converting Loker School to all-electric rooftop systems last year cost "a little over a million two, million three" because the entire electrical system had to be replaced. CPAC co-chairs Courtney Connery and Katie Andrews separately reported that 88 percent of families paying for private tutoring have a child on an IEP or 504, and that roughly 70 percent of third- and sixth-grade special education students are partially meeting or not meeting MCAS ELA expectations.