Wellesley Annual Town Meeting night #2: School budget stays bundled

April 3, 2025 by Bob Brown Leave a Comment

Wellesley Annual Town Meeting on Wednesday, April 2 picked up where it left off the night before, with departments sharing their proposed fiscal year 2026 budgets. Remaining was the School Department, whose $94M budget was also the subject of a motion to split it out from the larger Omnibus budget.

(See full meeting recording by Wellesley Media.)

School Committee Chair Linda Chow and Supt. Dr. David Lussier stressed that the School Department budget, built on supporting equity and excellence, is largely a level-services one. It pretty much supports the same services that it did this past year, with a bit of strategic this and that included. They emphasized that most of their budget consists of non-discretionary spending based on union-negotiated compensation for employees, plus out-of-district placements.

The budget’s increase came in within the Select Board’s 3.25% guidance and headcount is being reduced.

“This year was a particularly challenging budget process and likely a sign of things to come in the years ahead,” Chow said. Though Lussier also used the budget presentation as an opportunity to celebrate recent happenings, such as the lights at the Hunnewell track & field and the Fiske Elementary School Blue Ribbon designation.

Lussier invited those who love Tolstoy novels to dig in to the School Department’s 447-page budget document. Fortunately for the School Department, there was more peace than war during this Town Meeting session. With the new Hunnewell and Hardy Elementary Schools up and running, the School Department wasn’t looking for big capital funds this time around.

Lussier described the district’s approach to tightening its belt with dropping enrollment (elementary school enrollment is creeping up a bit…), including by consolidating professional development funds.

Town Meeting went relatively light on the questions, though Lussier was asked about efforts to increase staff diversity in light of a more diverse student population (some progress, but it’s been a struggle), the district’s approach to literacy education (a multi-pronged effort), and shared costs with other departments across town.

Motion to divide

A motion to divide Article 8 Motion 2, by splitting out the school budget, was then presented by Town Meeting member Michael Tobin.

“This motion enables TMMs to have independent, thoughtful scrutiny on town services vs. educational priorities,” Tobin said, in presenting the motion. “With multiple budget overrides already facing us in the coming years, this Town Meeting needs the information and the tools to effectively perform its role.”

Citing newspaper articles from the mid-1980s, Tobin found that today’s budget is more than seven times the size of what it was back then. So a much more complex matter.

Splitting out large budgets from within the Omnibus had been raised leading up to Town Meeting by Advisory Committee members during their vetting of Article 8 Motion 2. Though Advisory voted 8-3 for unfavorable action on the motion to divide during Town Meeting.

Neither the Select Board nor School Committee favored this motion either, with both citing the late timing of the proposal. Budget planning is a months-long process, and Select Board Chair Colette Aufranc and School Committee Chair Linda Chow encouraged people interested in providing feedback to get involved from the start or at least earlier along the way.

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Aufranc, who said the Select Board was not able to reach consensus to take a vote on the motion, asked: “What actions can be taken by splitting the question that cannot already be achieved with the current structure? In short, we don’t believe there are any.” She pointed to the ability to make motions to amend line items in non-school budgets and to direct increases or decreases to the school budget. Aufranc reiterated earlier comments about budgets from school and other departments being part of one integrated budget across town.

Town Meeting member Gig Babson rose to speak as well, to provide historical context. She introduced the concept of the Omnibus budget article in 1990 when she was moderator. She said at the time there were typically 70 or 80 warrant articles, at least ten for separate departmental budgets.

“There was the opportunity to see all the discrete pieces into one budget,” she said. “You had a much better sense of what the financial situation was for the town…” Babson argued that the Omnibus budget approach has “reasonably met the test of time,” and that it would require time to possibly unwind it.

A handful of Town Meeting members voiced their support or not for the motion to divide. One member said she thought the school budget gets “a pass” by being part of the broader budget. Another said she was frustrated by the “opacity” of the school budget, especially related to the shared services that are broken out. Those against the motion re-emphasized options to get involved earlier in the budget process and echoed comments about there being ways now to question departmental budgets within the larger one.

The motion failed to pass by a count of 67 for, 141 against, and 1 abstention. That was followed by a vote on Article 8 Motion 2, which passed by a 186-20 vote.

(Note: Budget totals of $212, 539 and $224, 493 were mentioned during Town Meeting. As explained in the Advisory report: “The FY26 Omnibus Budget request is $212,539,485, a $6,383,402 or 3.1%, increase over the final FY25 Omnibus Budget request. Please note from the TWFP that the overall FY26 Town budget is $224,493,903 a 1.13% increase over FY25. While the Omnibus Budget accounts for most of the Town spending, it does not include other items funded with Free Cash (various Articles) or appropriations from the Community Preservation Fund (Article 16), property tax abatements and state and county assessments. Appropriations using Exempt and Inside the Levy borrowed funds are indirectly included in the Omnibus Budget through the associated debt service (principal and interest payments debt).”

Making short work of Articles 3-7

Whereas wrapping up Article 8 and the motion to divide Motion 2 accounted for about two-thirds of the three-and-a-half-hour Town Meeting session on night #2, the legislative body plowed through Articles 3-7 and their motions in about an hour. All motions passed by voice vote, many unanimously.

These articles included the consent agenda (motions that it’s anticipated will be approved without debate), a series of motions related to shifting money from one pool to another (to cover things like remaining costs for the police parking lot repaving and health insurance premiums), addressing the Town Clerk’s compensation. Articles also covered the town’s overdue update to it compensation and job classification plan—Wellesley”s looking to retain its good employees and attract new ones given that employee turnover is so disruptive and costly.

Up next, when Town Meeting reconvenes on Monday, April 7, will be Article 9 Motion 1. It has to do with a Recreation Department revolving fund.

More: Wellesley’s 2025 Annual Town Meeting opens: Getting down to business—and a cliffhanger!

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Wellesley POPS Senior Profile: Ciara Caffrey speaks volumes through acting

April 3, 2025 by admin Leave a Comment

Special to The Swellesley Report courtesy of the Wellesley High School Bradford and Parents of Performing Students (POPS). This is one in a series of POPS Senior Profiles we’ll be publishing.

Kindergarteners are dressed in bunny ears, spring flowers are taped on a paper backdrop, and plastic eggs litter the floor in the aftermath of another successful skit. Ciara Caffrey ’25 was one of these kindergarteners: she started her theater journey by writing, directing, and performing skits for holidays. She continued to be involved in theater through LINX camps and middle school plays, but she did not fully realize her enthusiasm for it until high school.

“I mostly bought into theater in high school when I started reading more plays and taking acting classes. That was when I started to feel very seriously passionate about the craft of acting and the art of theater,” said Caffrey.

Ciara Caffrey plays Polly Kenton, one of the Furies in
The Insanity of Mary Girard. (Photo by Brooke Simko)

In high school, Caffrey has taken all four years of acting classes—taught by Ms. Kara Sullivan for the first three years, and then by Mr. Skylar Grossman for her senior year.

“I came out of my shell and became more open to being on stage through the acting classes, and that gave me the confidence to audition for things, which let me be in so many productions last year and this year,” said Caffrey.

Grossman lauds Caffery’s energetic and dedicated presence in class, and how being a team player makes her an inspiring role model for her peers.

“She is a joy to work with, really intelligent and thoughtful, and brings a lot of insight to conversations that pertain to theater,” said Grossman.

Throughout her years at the high school, Caffrey has been involved in plays including Eurydice, Twelve Angry Jurors, Men on Boats, The Insanity of Mary Girard, The Merry Wives of Windsor, The Half-Life of Marie Curie, Secret in the Wings, and Small Mouth Sounds.

“[Caffrey] was one of the two seniors that auditioned, were cast, and participated in my fall play, Secret in the Wings, and was a standout in that,” Grossman said.

Besides acting, Caffrey contributes to the plays through her dramaturgy work. Dramaturgy is the study of the historical aspects of the play. For Caffrey, this involves researching the historical context, people, references, and language used in the play to give actors a better sense of how they should act.

“Secret in the Wings was about a bunch of old, not very well known fairy tales, so she researched about the origins of the fairy tale, the culture significance, and explained how the fairy tales differed from what we were presenting,” said Natalia Medina ’26, a fellow actor and friend of Caffrey.

Although she doesn’t usually participate in musicals, Caffrey was also the dramaturg for this year’s musical, Anything Goes, creating a glossary of historical individuals and jargon found in it.

“Beyond doing the dramaturgical work, Ciara is heavily involved with the onstage aspect of being a performer. She is a Class A individual—working to achieve high success rates when it comes to being a team player, collaborating, and being mindful of her other counterparts when she’s on stage and performing,” said Mr. Grossman.

These qualities shine through in Caffrey’s extracurricular activities as well. “She is always really thoughtful in working with others. In the Musical Theater Club she puts a lot of effort into making sure everyone has the solo they want and that people have group numbers,” said Medina.

Not only does she enjoy theater as a way to express herself, but also for the connections she has found through the program.

“[Theater] is a really nice space to meet new people and connect with them. Being in a cast, you really rely on each other to put on the whole show, and you rely on the crew too,” said Caffrey. “My friends have given me a lot more confidence in going on stage and auditioning, and having a friend to talk to while you’re in rehearsal is so great, especially when things are stressful and you need to debrief.”

Through her friends, Caffrey finds inspiration for her continued pursuit of theater.

“Since Eurydice when I met [Medina] when she was a freshman, we’ve been pretty close, and having someone in the cast you are so close with, and who I really respect and admire as an actor, is really nice. I learn a lot from just watching her perform,” said Caffrey.

“My favorite role was Hertha Ayrton in the Half Life of Marie Curie.
She is a really big, expansive character with a strong personality and presence,
and that was really fun to play,” said Caffrey. (Photo by Declan Kashou)

Caffrey’s family has also been a huge help for her passion in theater. “My family is very STEM and sports orientated, so I’m a little bit of an oddball. My parents have never quite understood everything, but they are really supportive,” said Caffrey.

Outside of theater, Caffrey is involved in the high school’s Mock Trial team. In this year’s case, Caffrey played the defendant—the mother of a recent high school senior who held a graduation party. She is being sued for negligence because the alcohol she provided at the party made its way into the hands of minors, and may have caused a car accident, which resulted in damages.

“Acting teaches you a lot about staying in character and being able to portray a witness whose objective is to be sympathetic to or believable,” said Caffrey. “For the direct, a big skill is memorization, and then for cross examination, improv obviously plays a huge role, where I am able to think about ‘What would my character say in this situation?’”

Medina said: “She really brought the character to life, and worked on a lot of subtleties to help strengthen the [defense’s] case.”

For Caffrey, theater has also had applications in school. “Reading scripts and analyzing them from an actor’s perspective of ‘How would I read this line? What tactics am I using here? What’s my motivation? When would I pause here?’ helps in English classes to understand the play more intimately than just reading it like a book,” said Caffrey.

Along with a double major or minor in theater, Caffrey plans to major in German and continue learning other languages.

“It’s really nice to communicate with more people than you already can. Also, [learning more languages] helps you appreciate on a deeper level the culture, society, history, and literature of other countries,” said Caffrey.

Caffrey will leave a lasting impact on the theater department at the high school.

“The theater department as a whole will definitely miss her — I know I’ll miss her,” said Medina. “Just how much she contributes to the overall environment and how much she is dedicated to the art and craft of acting and dramaturg.”

Article written by WHS Bradford Editor-in-Chief Alexis Lee ’25 and Staff Writer Louisa Goldberg ’26

Wellesley weather forecast for April 4-11, 2025

April 3, 2025 by admin Leave a Comment

Here’s the updated daily weather forecast from Friday, April 4 to Friday, April 11 by Meteorologist Matthew Moll of New England Weather Consulting:

Spring continues its back-and-forth rhythm across southern New England this week, with frequent swings between mild, moist air and cooler, drier systems. Friday brings a pleasant taste of spring, but a sharp cooldown and soaking rain arrive over the weekend. A brief warm-up Sunday is followed by another stretch of unsettled and seasonably cool weather heading into midweek.

Friday, April 4 — Brighter and Mild:
A few spotty showers are possible early in the morning, mainly near the South Coast, before a drying trend brings increasing sunshine from north to south. Highs climb to the low and mid 60s with a light northwest breeze at 6–10 mph. Friday night remains partly cloudy and quiet with lows dipping into the upper 30s to low 40s and light north winds. A classic early April day.

Saturday, April 5 — Raw and Rainy Late:
A backdoor cold front ushers in much cooler air, keeping temperatures capped in the mid to upper 40s under overcast skies. Showers become more likely in the afternoon as southeast winds pick up slightly at 6–9 mph. Rain continues steadily into the evening and overnight hours, with lows near 40°F. Rainfall totals may reach up to 0.75″. A chilly and damp day overall.

Sunday, April 6 — Warm but Wet at Times:
Morning showers taper off, but skies remain mostly cloudy. Warm, humid air moves in during the afternoon with highs reaching into the low to mid 60s. A second round of showers is likely late at night, potentially accompanied by a rumble of thunder. Overnight lows fall to the low-to-mid 40s as winds shift from southwest to northwest.

Monday, April 7 — Seasonable with Scattered Showers:
Mostly cloudy skies prevail with a chance of scattered showers into early afternoon. Highs settle in the low 50s with a light northwest breeze. Monday night remains mostly cloudy and chilly with lows in the mid to upper 30s.

Interested in sponsoring our Wellesley weather reports? Please reach out: theswellesleyreport@gmail.com

Tuesday, April 8 — Breezy and Brisk:
Partly sunny but cooler, with highs in the upper 40s and a steady west breeze at 8–13 mph. A few passing clouds overnight, but conditions stay dry and colder with lows dropping into the upper 20s to near 30°F.

Wednesday, April 9 — Bright and Cool:
A sunny and dry day with highs in the upper 40s. Gusty west winds continue at 10–15 mph, occasionally reaching 20 mph. Clear skies overnight allow temperatures to fall into the upper 20s and low 30s.

Thursday, April 10 — Increasing Clouds, Chance of Late Showers:
Sunshine fades behind afternoon clouds, and a few late-day or evening showers are possible as a weak front approaches. Highs reach the low 50s. Thursday night remains mostly cloudy with lows in the upper 30s.

Friday, April 11 — Cool and Unsettled:
An upper-level trough may bring more clouds, scattered showers, and a return to cooler-than-normal temperatures. Highs struggle to climb out of the mid-40s with continued northwest breezes.

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Experience Wellesley’s vibrant restaurant scene at more than 50 dining options

April 2, 2025 by admin Leave a Comment

Sponsored content: Thanks to Smith & Wollensky for their swell sponsorship of The Swellesley Report’s Restaurants Page.

Savor the finest USDA dry-aged prime beef and world-class Wagyu at Smith & Wollensky, Church Square. Complement your meal with exceptional wines from top regions worldwide. Experience genuine hospitality and impeccable service in every detail. Reservations here.

Check out more restaurant options at The Swellesley Report’s Restaurants Page.

Sunny start for Wellesley High boys’ tennis team

April 2, 2025 by Bob Brown 1 Comment

The Wellesley High School boys’ tennis team launched its 2025 season with a perfect 5-0 victory over Milton High on the Hunnewell tennis courts on April 1. Among the victors: Birthday boy Arthas Goutham, playing No. 1 singles for the Raiders.

Coach Mike Sabin and JV coach Katie Sullivan were happy with the team’s performance, which should be a good tune-up for non-league action vs. Boston College High School later this week.

Sabin said the team, despite losing a handful of seniors from last year’s 15-7 unit, has looked good during training and he expects the Raiders to compete well.

Wellesley vs Milton tennis — Junior Arthas Goutham prevailed on Court 1 playing No. 1 singles

We welcome photos and info from Raiders sports supporters: theswellesleyreport@gmail.com

Wellesley’s 2025 Annual Town Meeting opens: Getting down to business—and a cliffhanger!

April 2, 2025 by Bob Brown Leave a Comment

Wellesley Annual Town Meeting started on April Fools’ Day this year at the middle school, but there was little foolin’ around. In fact, Executive Director Meghan Jop said at the start of her first of two presentations that she couldn’t get words from a song—“let’s get down to business”— out of her head all day leading into the town legislative body’s first night together for 2025.

Indeed, night #1 was straightforward. There was little in the way of questions or discussion.

Town Clerk KC Kato swore in new and re-elected Town Meeting members, Moderator Mark Kaplan went through an abbreviated version of the rules, and memorial resolutions were read to honor town contributors who died over the past year. The meeting clocked in at just over three hours (see Wellesley Media recording for all the action), and only two motions were voted on, as the Omnibus budget presentations got underway before things ended at 10:30pm.

But just when you thought Town Meeting couldn’t get off to any more of a matter-of-fact start, Kaplan ended the proceedings by calling attention to something he mentioned in a bulletin to Town Meeting members the day before about the Omnibus budget article: “We may be dealing with a motion that might generate considerable debate, and we’re going to do whatever we can to finish up the Article [on Wednesday night].”

The cliffhanger

The motion Kaplan referred to proposes to split out the school budget from the rest of the town’s overall $224.5M budget. Jop had referred earlier to the school’s portion of the overall budget amounting to about 65% when you factor in shared services like health insurance.

Breaking out the school budget was a topic of discussion last month at the Advisory Committee, an appointed town body that vets articles and motions ahead of Town Meeting. Some said it was difficult for them to approve the whole budget if they disagreed with big parts of it.

Town Meeting member Michael Tobin plans to make a motion to divide Article 8, Motion 2 (Omnibus budget) into one motion for the budget for all departments other than schools and a second for just the schools’ $94M-plus budget.

In explaining his reason for the motion amendment to the moderator, Select Board, and Advisory Committee, Tobin wrote in part: “During each of the 10 years I have been in Town Meeting, I have heard frustration from TMMs that there is no mechanism for more fine-grained voting on budget items of critical importance. The entire Omnibus budget can only be voted up or down. Voting it down puts all government services at risk.”

He plans to read this to Town Meeting on Wednesday night.

Town-wide Financial Plan & Five-Year Capital Budget

Select Board Chair Colette Aufranc warmed up the crowd for Article 2, which involved Jop presenting the Town-wide Financial Plan & Five-Year Capital Budget. Town Meeting members and the general public are encouraged to read the documents (see also: “OK, OK, we read Wellesley’s Town-Wide Financial Plan).

The plan comes together based on reports from town departments and bodies, plus estimates and financial assumptions previously approved by the Select Board. The plan, which outlines the town’s budgeting and financial planning processes, also is built on a foundation of a bunch of other plans, from the Climate Action Plan to the Unified Plan.

“The Town-wide Financial Plan is a critical companion to the Omnibus budget and Article 8, and gives context to important initiatives that then [Read more…]