Wayland Select Board signals no town funds for $1.2 million school COVID testing plan

WAYLAND -- November 9, 2020, Wayland signals no town money for $1.2M school COVID testing as unemployment costs balloon. Town Administrator Louise Miller told the Select Board on Monday she would not recommend tapping reserve funds for a proposed weekly pooled-testing program in the schools, noting Wellesley's comparable program is privately funded at roughly $3.5 million and Wayland has already filed for about $300,000 of its $1.2 million CARES Act eligibility. Member Tom Fay said he was "not a fan at this point of spending town money for this effort." Miller separately reported 80 active unemployment claimants and roughly 40 fraudulent claims caught, with projected payouts of $266,000 for school employees and $6,000 for town staff against a normal $38,000 annual budget. The board voted 5-0 to issue a plain-language open meeting law guidance memo, drafted by member Lee Anderson, after four recent Attorney General determinations, and reappointed Ellen Tone and Tom Siakka to the Energy and Climate Committee through June 2023.