At the November 18, 2025 meeting, the School Committee received and discussed the following: 

The Committee heard and approved two new job descriptions in the Educational Technology Department that will result in the reduction of 1.0 FTEs and come with no additional costs.  Director of Educational Technology, Dr. Adam Steiner, presented two new Technology Department job descriptions: Help Desk Coordinator and Senior Technician. These proposed changes reflect a calibration of the work to make the team more efficient and effective. 

The Committee heard a brief update on the district’s ongoing elementary literacy efforts.  Assistant Superintendent of Teaching and Learning, Sandy Trach, highlighted recent state legislative developments along with updates on WPS’s current literacy curriculum review.  The district’s Literacy Steering Committee and Working Groups, established in SY 2024–25, will continue their study of High-Quality Instructional Materials (HQIM) through SY 2025–26, while the district monitors updates from DESE and other state agencies. 

The Committee discussed and approved the proposed updates to the WMS and WHS  2026-2027 Programs of Studies presented at the November 5th meeting.  

The Committee discussed and approved draft policies

proposed by the Policy Subcommittee. These included: 

● IC/ICA: School Year/School Calendar 

● IMDA: Accommodations for Religious and Cultural Observances 

● IKF: New Graduation Requirements Policy 

● IKFE: New Competency Determination Policy 

The Committee heard Superintendent, Dr. David Lussier, present the draft Academic Calendar for SY2026-27. The calendar begins on Wednesday, September 2, 2026, and includes school closures for  holidays: Yom Kippur (September 21, 2026), Eid al-Fitr (March 10, 2027), and Good Friday (March 26, 2027). In December 2024, the Committee voted to adopt an academic calendar model that retains the 3 legacy school holidays (Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur and Good Friday) and includes 1 additional school holiday selected on a rotational basis from 3 other religious or cultural observances (Diwali, Eid al Fitr, and Lunar New Year), for a maximum of 4 non-mandated school holidays in a given school year. The proposed SY 2026-27 calendar maintains the three legacy holidays (the ones that fall during the school week) and includes Eid al-Fitr as the rotating observance for this cycle, resulting in three non-mandated school holidays for the year, which is within the maximum of four permitted by the adopted policy. Furthermore, the calendar sets the WHS Graduation date for Friday, June 4, 2027, and the last day of school for students, assuming zero contingency days, is Monday, June 21, 2027. The Committee will vote on this calendar at the December 9th Committee meeting.

The Committee heard the Administration present its annual Bullying Prevention and Intervention Plan (BPIP). This plan ensures compliance with Massachusetts General Law and confirms WPS’s commitment to providing a safe learning environment free from bullying, cyber-bullying, and retaliation. A key takeaway from this year’s report is a reduction in Year-To-Date allegations of bullying at Wellesley Middle School and Wellesley High School  for SY2025-26 school year. The BPIP requires annual training for all staff and the implementation of anti-bullying curricula, specifically utilizing the Second Step bullying curriculum for grades K-8 and addressing prevention in health classes for grades 6-12. Going forward, the District plans to provide additional training and resources to school-based administrators to ensure timely and thorough investigations and fidelity of process. 

The Committee discussed and approved the District Year 3 and Superintendent Goals presented at the November 5th meeting. 

The Committee approved Table J from the enrollment report presented on November 5 for use in the Administration’s FY’2027 budget planning. 

Coming Up………

School Committee Meeting:
December 9 6:30 PM Zoom 

Link to agenda with viewing instructions

School Committee Office Hours: December  9, 9 AM (Zoom) Sign Up

Click to access documents from the November 18, 2025 meeting. 
Click to watch the meeting on Wellesley Media.
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