Wayland schools pitch universal free full-day kindergarten in FY25 budget

WAYLAND — December 13, 2023 — Wayland weighs free full-day kindergarten funded by $893,000 state aid increase. Acting Superintendent David Fleischman told a joint School Committee and Finance Committee meeting Wednesday that a projected Chapter 70 bump would cover the roughly $535,000 needed to replace kindergarten tuition for 193 of 195 students currently enrolled full-day. The underlying operating budget is a 4.94 percent level-service increase, with the kindergarten initiative adding 1.31 percent on the expense side, fully offset by state aid. The plan eliminates a Director of Teaching and Learning position, trims two assistant principals to 0.8 FTE, and lifts the diversity director to 0.7 FTE. "I never start long-term initiatives without recurring money," Fleischman said, adding the district would not proceed without confirmed Chapter 70 funding or a town backstop. Five residents used public comment to object to a WSPN student opinion essay on the Israel-Hamas conflict.