Wellesley Public Schools Supt. David Lussier gave something of a state of the schools during the Sept. 2 School Committee meeting (see Wellesley Media recording about 20 minutes in).

He was summarizing messages shared in an all-staff kickoff the previous week, including the district’s focus on “equity and excellence,” “efficacy and agency,” and “a community of learning.”

Lussier acknowledged the school system has work to do in ensuring all students succeed: “I challenged our staff to really think about how we can continue in our efforts so that all of our students are more successful than they are currently.” The district’s goal is for 90% proficiency for the student body regardless of the assessment, and WPS is seeking to address persistent gaps by looking to examples within the district and across the country where there has been successful change, he said.

Wellesley seeks to improve conditions for learning by piloting air conditioning at four schools in need of it. The schools underwent a security audit at the end of last year, and continues with that work.

New cellphone practices are in place, with the biggest changes at the middle and high schools. Middle school students are required to put their devices into sealed pouches that are opened via magnets at the end of the school day.

It’s already collective bargaining time with all five units of the Wellesley Educators Association. Things got tense the last time around before agreements were reached in 2023.

Wellesley also has a new home—Regis College—for its Launch program for students aged 18 to 22 with complex language, learning, and cognitive disabilities. The program ties in with some of the educational programs for Regis students.

Preliminary enrollment figures at WPS were also shared. Lussier said for the first time in “many, many years” K-5 enrollment is up, and increases are expected to continue at that level as Wellesley’s housing options increase, among other factors. WPS counts 3,887 enrolled students at this point, down 9 students from the actual total last year. More formal enrollment numbers will be released in early October.