Wayland Select Board shifts ARPA funds to bankroll full-day kindergarten

WAYLAND -- March 4, 2024, Wayland Select Board reallocates $535,769 in ARPA funds to launch full-day kindergarten. The board voted 5-0 Monday to draw down a $1.4 million ARPA set-aside for the town's MWRA emergency connection, now reduced to $864,231 after the project came in under budget, and redirect the surplus to a one-year full-day kindergarten revolving account in fiscal 2025. Town Manager Michael McCall said Wayland is "one of a handful of communities in the commonwealth" still without the program. Finance Director Brian Keveny said the swap drops the proposed tax increase from 6.32 percent to roughly 5.7 percent, with Chapter 70 state aid expected to absorb the cost in fiscal 2026. The board also voted 4-1 against recommending a citizen petition from David Bernstein to create an Athletic Field Planning Committee, and 5-0 to extend the synthetic turf moratorium through at least January 2028.