Wayland School Committee approves $53.2M budget and Boston trip replacing DC

WAYLAND -- January 17, 2024, Wayland approves $53.2M school budget and a Boston day-trip replacement for the eighth-grade Washington tradition. The School Committee voted unanimously on the fiscal 2025 operating budget and 4-1 to approve a four-day Boston itinerary, including the Edward M. Kennedy Institute, Fenway Park and "Come From Away", after members extracted a commitment that a working group on future middle school trips include a committee member and work toward restoring overnight trips by 2025. Interim Director of Student Services Debbie Dixon and Assistant Director Ronnie Kessler presented a budget-neutral special education restructuring that creates building-based team chairs, eliminates an unfilled 1.0 director of teaching and learning, and splits a psychologist between Claypit Hill and the high school. Out-of-district tuition of $3.2 million will be offset by roughly $1.3 million in circuit breaker reimbursements. "I worry that this is really letting our kids down," member Ellen said of dropping the DC trip, warning the district was "lowering the bar."