The Swellesley Report

Since 2005: More than you really want to know about Wellesley, Mass.

Wellesley RDF takes everything, even a piano

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File this under another reason to love the Wellesley dump. This morning at about 7:30am, we deposited our well-loved but un-homed upright piano at the RDF. (We got it for free on Facebook a decade ago, and you may have seen my pleas to rehome it on Facebook’s free sites over the past few months.)

The RDF’s great staff were a huge help, instructing us to back it up to the “wood only” big tent where Arty used the big claw to lift it out of our U-Haul trailer. Then he deposited it into the front loader to move it over to the bulk waste.

piano rdf
Photos by Jen Bonniwell

 
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If not MCAS, what’s it take to graduate from Wellesley High? Algebra, American Lit & some time in a science lab

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MCAS is out as a graduation requirement. This year’s seniors will be the first class since the November 2024 ballot measure ended use of the 10th grade standardized test as a requirement for high school diplomas in Massachusetts.

In its place, local school districts were left to set up new requirements.

So, what does it take to graduate from Wellesley High School? Spoiler alert: it’s still mostly what you know at the end of 10th grade, plus health class and gym.

New this year

The biggest change is a new Competency Determination approved by the Wellesley School Committee earlier this spring that identifies the math, science and English classes that students must pass to earn a high school diploma. (See Wellesley Media recording of March 18 meeting starting at about the 34-minute mark). These new requirements are:

  • 10th grade English, which is “the study of American literature,” says the WHS Program of Studies.
  • Algebra 1
  • physics, chemistry or biology with a lab

During discussion about the new competency requirements, School Committee members asked how students would satisfy the graduation requirements, especially those in tracks that either moved faster or slower. School officials explained these classes can be taken at any time, for example students who take Foundations in Mathematics (a basic skills class) in 9th and 10th grade will still be on track to take Algebra 1 in 11th grade. (See math pathways in Competency Determination, page 3.)

Another question came up about the handful of students each year who test out of Algebra 1 in middle school and start 9th grade in Algebra 2. While it seems obvious these students met the requirement, WHS Principal Jamie Chisum said a separate competency determination will have to be created.

But all of this is moot for 2025 graduates who took the 10th grade MCAS and passed before the ballot measure took effect on Dec. 4, 2024. That covers the majority of WHS graduates.

The new competency requirements this year still apply to “a handful” of WHS seniors who didn’t pass MCAS, either because they didn’t take it or for other reasons didn’t pass, said Sharon Gray, spokeswoman for Wellesley schools.

That’s not all

But the MCAS and mastery of the 10th grade curriculum was always just the minimum requirement for graduation. In addition to 136 credits, WHS graduates have these courseload requirements:

  • English (4 years)
  • Math (2 years)
  • Science (2 years; all WHS science classes include a lab)
  • Social Studies (2.5 years—1 year must be U.S. History)
  • Intro to Fitness (9th grade)
  • Intro to Health (10th grade)

Shocked to see some of your favorite parts of high school omitted from this list? No foreign languages? Only two years of math? That’s right. Though, students still have to fill 136 credits over four years, which maybe explains why 75 percent of WHS students participate in an art class each semester.

But, kids, don’t get too excited: at least one year of foreign language is typically required for admission to four-year colleges where 93 percent of WHS graduates end up. (Take note: those colleges also usually require four years of math and three years of science.)

How we got here

Since 2003, graduating high school seniors in Massachusetts were required to meet both local graduation requirements and the State Competency Determination.

The ”competency determination” shall be based on the academic standards and curriculum frameworks for tenth graders in the areas of mathematics, science and technology, history and social science, foreign languages, and English, and shall represent a determination that a particular student has demonstrated mastery of a common core of skills, competencies and knowledge in these areas… Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 69, § 1D (i).

Until last year, the MCAS was used for students to show that they knew as much as a 10th grader. The newly rewritten state law requires school districts to use coursework instead. So that’s why the new graduation requirements are the key classes taken by 10th graders: Algebra, American literature, and a lab-based science class.

The MCAS ballot measure became a hot topic when standardized test scores plummeted following the pandemic. However, school officials said the majority of students who didn’t pass MCAS in 10th grade, ultimately passed on retake in 11th and 12th grades. Moreover, those who didn’t pass the MCAS often failed to meet local graduation requirements as well, school officials said.

MCAS testing is still required for all students grades 3-10 for federal accountability and state scholarships.

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$182k Sought to Study Air Conditioning in Wellesley Schools

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How hot is it in a Bates classroom when it is 80 degrees outside? How about after three days of 80 degrees? Do kids learn anything when it is that hot? 

Those are just some of the questions the Wellesley School Committee is hoping to answer with a $182,000 air conditioning study that is slated for Town Meeting this April. Article 18 will be discussed by the Advisory Committee on Feb. 26.

Of Wellesley’s eight schools, four do not have air conditioning in classrooms: Wellesley Middle School, and Fiske, Schofield and Bates elementary schools. 

“Four of our schools have fundamentally different learning environments on those warm days where that heat index can make the situation extremely uncomfortable,” Superintendent David Lussier said during discussion of the study at the School Committee’s Jan. 28 meeting. (see Wellesley Media video starting at 43:00). “The learning environment in our schools looms large in the success of our students.”

 

What’s Included in the Study?

The proposed feasibility study will research and present three options for cooling the four schools: full air conditioning, window units, and heat pumps, School Committee member Niki Ofenloch said. The analysis will look at all possibilities, including construction costs, schedules and how the work could be completed in phases at different schools.

The study also will include an energy analysis and sustainability. This will be an integrated approach that considers environmental impact at every stage of the project, Ofenloch said. For the full A/C and heat pump options, the study also will investigate using conventional power source or geothermal, she said.

 

‘Must have’ or ‘Nice to have’? 

The big question over the whole project is whether air conditioning is necessary. After all, school ends in mid-June before the real heat of summer begins. 

“We have received some questions about the need to better understand the urgency of this. Is this just a ‘nice to have’ or is it really a ‘must have’?” Lussier said.

In preliminary research for the School Committee, Ofenloch found that Wellesley has an average of 18 school days per year when the heat index is over 80 degrees. That amounts to nearly a month of school, she said.

“When we have hot days in a row and the nights don’t cool down, those classrooms don’t ever get to cool down overnight,” Fiske Principal Rachel McGregor told the School Committee. “If it’s two or three days in a row, we are really capturing all the heat in those rooms.”

McGregor was invited to the School Committee meeting to describe what it’s like at Fiske during hot days.

“You will see teachers using water bottles to mist the children. More visits to the nurse, complaining of heat and headaches,” McGregor said. “Students are trying to do their best. When you’re hot, you tend to be lethargic and you don’t have a lot of energy. Teachers are doing their best and trying to keep students engaged. 

At Fiske, the side of the building that faces the sun can be 10 degrees hotter than the other side, McGregor said. Opening windows just lets in more hot air, and teachers cannot prop open doors to get a cross-breeze due to security concerns. 

 

‘This is Unsafe’

We had no trouble finding a slew of parents and students in favor of the air conditioning study. 

“This is unsafe and a truly detrimental environment for our children,” said parent Lina Musayev, who has a 3rd grade daughter at Schofield and 7th grader at WMS. “We live in Wellesley–this is unacceptable that our children should not have A/C in the schools. It’s no longer a few uncomfortable days. It’s basically a month on each end of the school year. Because of climate change this is becoming the norm.”

Five people spoke in favor of the feasibility during public comment at the School Committee’s Jan. 28 meeting.

“I’m pleased to see that the School Committee is asking Town Meeting for funding for a feasibility study,” parent Trish Glass said. “Thank you for considering environmental impacts for the future of our town, our children and for the environment.”

Resident Katherine Guo also asked the School Committee to consider studying other sustainability options that could help cooling the schools, including a green roof or adding overhangs to the windows to prevent direct sunlight into the windows. She also urged the committee to consider the environmental impact of the refrigerant when selecting an air conditioning option. 

Two Wellesley High School seniors also spoke in favor of the feasibility study. Jolie Yu and Evelyn Kohnen urged the School Committee to ensure that the feasibility study considers the environmental impact of any new air conditioning systems. 

“The installation of any air conditioning without the consideration of their long-term greenhouse gas impact would be a severe mistake,” Yu told the School Committee. 

 

Didn’t We Just Renovate WMS?

As you may recall (or at least you noticed on your property tax bills), Wellesley voters approved a $12 million renovation of the middle school in 2020 along with a temporary increase in property taxes to pay for it. 

That project was supposed to give the building another 25 years of life by replacing the heating and ventilation systems and installing air conditioning in the auditorium. There were other classroom updates on the honey-do list. But, apparently, not A/C.

The three A/C-less elementary schools all had renovations about 10 years ago or more:

  • Fiske was renovated in 2015-16
  • Schofield was renovated in 2012-2017
  • Bates was renovated in 2006-2008 

(See Hunnewell/Hardy schools project background) 

 

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Wellesley School Budget Approved; Review by Advisory Committee on Feb. 5

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Wellesley Public Schools added back funding for half of a school psychologist at Hunnewell Elementary School but left other mental health staff cuts in place in the fiscal year 2026 school budget that was approved by the School Committee on Jan. 28.

The Hunnewell position was restored to provide services for a student who was expected to be placed out of district and instead will stay at Hunnewell, said Wellesley Director of Student Services Kat Bernklow. The total budget number did not change because the cost for the half- position will be funded by the money that had been set aside for out-of-district placement.

The budget was approved by a vote of 4-1 (See Wellesley Media video starting at 1:21; vote at about 2:41). Member Christina Horner voted no after she failed to get support for an amendment to restore funding for partial school psychologists at Hardy Elementary School and Wellesley High School.

The Advisory Committee will review the budget during a joint meeting with the School Committee on Feb. 5.

Some parents have vocally opposed the school district’s proposal to eliminate two full-time district-level positions and make partial reductions in school psychologists at the high school, middle school and Hardy. Three parents spoke against the proposed cuts at the Jan. 28 School Committee meeting; two parents spoke at the Jan. 21 meeting. School Committee members also mention receiving emails from multiple parents and teachers opposing the proposed staff reductions.

“I am alarmed by the proposed cuts to psychology and social workers,” parent Meisha Rosenberg said at the start of the School Committee’s Jan. 28 meeting. “While it is true the district psychologist and social worker are not student-facing, they help students, staff and families in complex or crisis situations.”

School district officials have described this budget as providing the same level of services as last year, along with providing for strategic planning initiatives and critical needs. (See letter from the superintendent in the Full Budget, page 9). The district says staffing is evaluated and adjusted every year based on enrollment and services needs.

The budget ended up being approved by a divided School Committee, with Horner suggesting that professional development could be reduced to help pay for the partial school psychologists at Hardy and WHS. (See Wellesley Media video at about 1:51.)

However, Chairwoman Linda Chow seemed reluctant to make direct adjustments to the budget. Chow noted that the current budget–without restoring funding for the school psychologists –was within the 3.24 percent increase requested by the Select Board.

“It seems like it is very late in the game to be making some kind of a trade off like this,” Chow said.

“Well it was up for discussion and it’s a vote, so that’s what I’m thinking, I’m just throwing up my views, I didn’t know it was a monolith,” Horner said.

Member Craig Mack supported Horner’s right to ask “clarifying questions” to get more information as part of the budget discussion. He also noted that the School Committee should support a budget that meets the schools’ needs, even if that turns out to be higher than what the Select Board says it will approve.

 

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‘Now is Not the Time To Cut’ Mental Health Staff, Parents Tell Wellesley School Committee; Vote on Tuesday

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Parents this past week asked the Wellesley School Committee to reconsider proposed budget cuts to school mental health staff saying that students have not yet recovered from the pandemic and need continued social and emotional support.

“Reducing these professionals will not only jeopardize our children’s mental health, social emotional learning and academic success, but it will also increase the burden on teachers, potentially leading to burnout,” parent Sara Townsend said during an online public hearing held at the start of the Jan. 21 School Committee meeting (see Wellesley Media video beginning at 3:00). “I urge the School Committee to reconsider the proposed staffing reductions to school psychologists.”

Wellesley has proposed cutting two district-level mental health staff and eliminating partial positions at the high school, middle school and two elementary schools in the proposed $94 million fiscal year 2026 budget. (See Full Budget, page 380)

The school district said the staff reductions will not change the level of services from what is currently offered, but instead are adjustments for the closure of Upham Elementary School and declining enrollment at the middle and high school.

The School Committee is scheduled to vote on the budget Tuesday, Jan. 28.

“I think its a very strange time to be pulling back on mental health services at our school, even if it’s just a 0.2 reduction,” said parent Joelle Reidy, who has three students in the Wellesley public schools and is the vice president of the Wellesley Middle School PTO. “We’ve come out of the pandemic just three years ago. This is a mental health crisis and it’s not getting better. Now is not the time to cut.”

 

What is Changing

The school district presented charts to show the proposed changes to the Social Emotional Learning (SEL) staff. (See Jan. 21 School Committee meeting video on Wellesley Media beginning at 1:26:00).

Screenshot SC meeting 1_21_25_current SEL

Screenshot SC meeting 1_21_25_proposed SEL
Current versus proposed staffing for Social Emotional Learning at each of the Wellesley public schools. Wellesley Director of Student Services Kat Bernklow shared her screen to show these charts during the Jan. 21 School Committee. Bernklow said the yellow highlighting is proposed changes in the fiscal year 2025 budget. Not highlighted but still changing is the number of middle school counselors reduced from 7.0 to 6.5, Bernklow said. Also not shown on the chart is the elimination of two district-level SEL staff: one district-level school psychologist and one district-level school adjustment counselor.

 

In explaining the changes, Wellesley Director of Student Services Kat Bernklow said the district evaluates staffing every year based on enrollment and need. Among the data considered is case loads, hours of service delivery and the number of evaluations needed weekly for special educators, liaisons, school psychologists, and all related service providers.

Here are the proposed staff reductions and what the district said about each:

● 1 district-level school psychologist and 1 district level school adjustment counselor –These two district-level positions were eliminated because, “We prioritized student-facing positions,” Bernklow said. “We’re going to be redeploying those tasks back to other staff in the building.”
● 0.2 school psychologist at Wellesley High School – reduction due to lower enrollment projected at the high school
● 0.5 school counselor at Wellesley Middle School – “This was an enrollment calibration” recommended by WMS Principal Mark Ito based on projected lower enrollment at the middle school, Superintendent David Lussier said.
● 0.5 school psychologist at Hunnewell Elementary School + 0.3 school psychologist at Hardy Elementary School – “This was a carryover school psychologist for when Upham was closed,” Bernklow said.

Not all reductions will mean a person will be laid off. The reductions described here are for the portion of a full-time equivalent position, which is counted differently than headcount. So, for example, there is no change in headcount due to the 0.5 reduction of the WMS counselor or 0.2 reduction of a WHS school psychologist (See Full Budget, page 380). However, the two district-level reductions are two headcount reductions.

Despite the district’s data-heavy presentation, some School Committee members still had questions about why this decision was made.

“We’ve heard from so many teachers, parents that they are concerned about the loss of staff,” School Committee member Sharon Clarke said. “I am concerned that we’re missing data, or time that is needed with these students. Are we missing something?”

School Committee member Christina Horner said she had heard about increased needs since the pandemic. “How does reducing psychologists help with these increasing challenges that our students are exhibiting,” Horner said.

School Committee member Craig Mack suggested that if removing district-level staff left the schools needing additional help, the district could increase hours from a privately contracted service provider in the next fiscal year.

Neighborhood Schools

In comparing Wellesley to peer school districts, “Wellesley’s model seemingly was more robustly staffed than any of our alike communities,” Bernklow said. However, this staffing is necessary because we have six elementary schools, some with as few as 250 students.

“There’s a premium with wanting to have neighborhood schools. You have to have a staff to support that school,” said School Committee Chairwoman Linda Chow. “Peer communities that don’t have that model, they have a much more efficient model for that school because they have more students and perhaps don’t have to have as much staff.”

Budget Is Higher, So Why Cuts?

The proposed budget increase of 3.24 percent is within the 3.25 percent guideline set by the Select Board in October 2024. However, even without any other changes, the district faced an additional $3.5 million in salary increases for existing teachers and staff due to the Wellesley Educators Association contracts signed in May 2023.

“The result is that rising compensation costs increase the district’s base budget by 3.86 percent before any other proposed adjustments,” Lussier said in his letter to the community about the budget.

In addition, out-of-district special education placements increased $796,000 over last year due to state-mandated cost increases.

Reidy said she doesn’t blame the school district for trying to find ways to reduce spending–she blames town officials.

“My real frustration is with the Select Board. I don’t think they know what it takes to run a successful school system. It’s given them [the school district] this percentage that I don’t think is reasonable. Schools are still why people move here,” Reidy said.

What’s Next

The School Committee is scheduled to vote on the budget at its Jan. 28 meeting. The budget then must be reviewed by the Advisory Committee and approved by Town Meeting in April.

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$94M School Budget Includes Staff Reductions at WMS, WHS Due to Smaller Enrollment; Level Services at Elementary Schools

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Wellesley Public Schools is asking for $94 million in town funding for the next school year—up 3.24 percent from last year—mostly due to contractually required salary increases and state- mandated increases in the cost of out-of-district special education placements.

Nearly all of the proposed budget increase comes from the cost of providing the same services (aka level services) offered this year, Superintendent David Lussier said during the School Committee’s Dec. 10 meeting (see Wellesley Media video beginning at 26:00).

Some of the increased salary costs will be offset by savings from staff reductions at the middle and high schools due to lower enrollment, Lussier said. Both WMS and WHS are expected to have three fewer classrooms (or sections) each. WPS will eliminate three people from its overall headcount, with additional savings coming from eliminating positions for 11 people that were budgeted for but never used.

The proposed budget increase of 3.24 percent is within the 3.25 percent guideline set by the Select Board in October 2024. The school department makes up nearly half of the town’s $200 million budget. The schools’ first budget presented in December 2024 called for a 3.5 percent increase; however the district revised its budget proposal to 3.24 percent on Jan. 7 due to salary reductions from several voluntary retirements and leaves of absence.

Have a comment?

 

The School Committee is holding a public hearing on the FY26 budget during its regularly scheduled Zoom meeting on Tuesday, Jan. 21 at 6:30 p.m.

The School Committee plans to vote on the proposed budget on Jan. 28. The budget then must be reviewed by the Advisory Committee and approved by Town Meeting in April.

Review the full 418-page budget document online.

3.68% Increase Due to Salaries

 

Increases to base salaries for teachers, staff and other educators account for a $3.5 million increase in the budget over 2024-25 (3.86 percent). The collective bargaining agreements negotiated in May 2023 include 3 percent cost-of-living raises for nearly all school employees for fiscal year 2026, which is the last year covered by the contracts, said Assistant Superintendent for Finance and Operations Cynthia Mahr. Plus, 49 percent of the district’s teachers are eligible for additional 4.17 percent “step” raises, meaning they receive a raise because the number of years they have worked in Wellesley pushes them into the next salary bracket. Teachers moving to the next salary bracket get the cost-of-living raise and the step raise—for a cumulative 7.17 percent raise this year.

Special Ed

 

Increases in special education costs also bumped the FY26 budget up $796,000, or 3.67 percent. Wellesley doesn’t have much of a choice in paying this, since it involves students who the district is not capable of educating due to special education needs. The annual cost increase
is set by the state.

Staffing Changes

 

The proposed budget includes a slew of small changes at WMS and WHS due to enrollment declines. The proposed budget eliminates a total of 19.47 full-time equivalent (FTE) jobs across all schools – but 10.75 FTE are for jobs that were posted and budgeted for but never filled. Note that FTE is different from headcount: for example, a part-time librarian could count as 0.5 FTE but 1.0 headcount. The district says staff changes will reduce overall headcount by just three people (see WPS presentation, page 44).

Here are notable staff changes proposed at WMS (see WPS presentation to School Committee, page 38):

● Increase Behavioral Technician (+1.00 FTE)
● Reduce Half team (-2.00 FTE)
● Reduce Health and Fitness (-0.20 FTE)
● Reduce Industrial Technology (-0.20 FTE)
● Reduce Mathematics (-0.20 FTE)
● Reduce School Counselor (-0.50 FTE)
● Reduce Visual Arts (-0.30 FTE)
● Reduce World Language (-0.10 FTE)

Notable staff changes proposed at WHS (page 39):

● Increase Family and Consumer Science (+0.40 FTE)
● Increase Library Instructional Assistant (+0.50 FTE)
● Increase Multilingual Language Learner (+0.30 FTE)
● Reduce English Language Arts (-1.00 FTE)
● Reduce Mathematics (-0.20 FTE)
● Reduce Mathematics Paraprofessional (-0.50 FTE)
● Reduce Performing Arts (-0.60 FTE)
● Reduce Science (-0.50 FTE)
● Reduce Social Studies (-0.40 FTE)
● Reduce Visual Arts (-0.20 FTE)
● Reduce World Language (-0.40 FTE)
● School Psychologist (-0.20 FTE)
● Reduce Instructional Support Professionals: Behavioral Technician (-3.00 FTE), Teaching Assistants (-3.00 FTE)

 

More Reading Specialists

 

A few more notes from the proposed budget:

● The budget includes a strategic priority to replace three part-time reading paraprofessionals with three full-time literacy specialists at the elementary schools. Lussier said the changes will mean that all elementary schools will have two reading
specialists and two math specialists.
● The high school will increase its library staff, changing a part-time library assistant into a full-time position, and add district-wide support for multi-language learners.
● A grant that helped pay for additional nursing staff is ending, but the district has opted to retain the same number of nurses on staff. Accordingly, some of the nursing salaries have been moved over to the district’s budget.
● There is no net reduction in teachers at the elementary schools.

Fewer in WMS/WHS, More in Elementary

 

Lussier emphasized that enrollment is a primary driver of changes to the district budget.

“After many years of enrollment decline at the elementary level, we now expect to see steady increases over the next number of years, which we’ve long anticipated would happen,” Lussier said. “At the same time, at the secondary level, those smaller cohorts are going to work their way through the middle school and high school and we don’t expect to see those increases arriving from the elementary school for a bit of time before those larger cohorts of students move on to the middle school and high school.

“So we do expect to see elementary enrollment increasing while our secondary enrollment will be either flat or declining in the short term.”

 

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New Wellesley METCO students now only going to Hunnewell, Hardy

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By corresponding reporter Jennifer Bonniwell

 

METCO students who are bused from Boston to Wellesley Public Schools are now being centralized in two elementary schools—rather than spread across all elementary schools—a substantial change to the voluntary school integration program that Wellesley joined more than 50 years ago.

New METCO students now start only at Hunnewell and Hardy elementary schools. METCO students currently attending other elementary schools will remain in those schools; but no new METCO students will join the other elementary schools unless they have a sibling already attending that school.

The new policy was announced in April 2024 and took effect in September. Because this was a policy change, the School Committee was told that it did not require committee approval.

The change in how students are placed in Wellesley schools is intended to group more METCO students in each classroom and each grade level. About 155 Boston residents attend Wellesley Public Schools through the METCO program each year. But until last year, the average elementary school had just one or two METCO students per grade. In 2023-24, Hunnewell had just three METCO students in the whole school; Sprague had the most with 15.

“A classroom with three or four METCO students is more ideal than one to two students, as it creates more opportunity for community and is less isolating,” WPS Director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Jorge Allen told the School Committee at its April 23, 2024 meeting (see Wellesley Media video starting at 25:25).

 

Shorter Bus Rides, Better Support

 

Grouping METCO students at two elementary schools will reduce bus travel times from Boston, said K-12 METCO Director Stephanie Holland. Some elementary students begin their day as early as 6:30 a.m. and don’t get home until 4:30 p.m. Once all elementary students are at two schools, the 90-minute bus trip could be 30 minutes shorter, she said.

Another key factor is that the district can better focus resources on supporting METCO students, Holland said. Moreover, recent MCAS results show wide disparity between student groups by race/ethnicity. The percentage of Black and Hispanic students meeting or exceeding
expectations was lower than the Wellesley average in every test for grades 3 to 8, and almost every test for 10th graders.

“At the core of this change is to increase the opportunity. We want all of our students to thrive, and not all of our students are thriving now,” Holland said.

Other similarly sized school districts including Lexington, Concord, Belmont and Natick already group METCO students into just a few schools, the district told the School Committee.

Lexington also made the change this school year, though it opted to move all of its students—even those currently attending other elementary schools.

Notably, in Concord-Carlisle School District, a METCO parent support group shut down in protest in fall 2024 due to frustration over the achievement gap between white students and METCO’s Black and brown students. In a letter to school officials, the parents group cited MCAS data showing only around 33 percent to 48 percent of METCO students in Concord- Carlisle are meeting standards in math and ELA.

Snapshot of Comparable METCO Districts, with data about total number of K-12 students from METCO in each district.
Snapshot of Comparable METCO Districts, with data about total number of K-12 students from METCO in each district.

 

Segregation by Desegregation?

 

School Committee member Christina Horner, who is Black and was a METCO student in Weston, raised multiple concerns, including whether grouping METCO students at just two schools was just another way to segregate these students within a predominantly white community.

In response, Superintendent David Lussier reiterated that grouping elementary students in fewer schools will be better for the students.

“For years, I attended end-of-year meetings with our graduating seniors who often recounted in painful terms how socially isolating their elementary experience in Wellesley was and not feeling a sense of affinity until coming together in middle school. And that was something we heard consistently year in and year out,” Lussier said. “With more students in fewer schools, we think we have a far greater chance of creating that sense of affinity and meaningful connections at each grade level.”

During the April School Committee meeting, Horner also read a comment from a resident: “I’m going to read this so I get it right: ‘Are we committed to METCO? If so, we should have students in every school so they can make friends across the town. This decision would mean that only certain families can even host students. The two schools is a negative for black residents who live in town.’ ”

In an interview in December, Lussier responded that Wellesley is fully committed to METCO and its contributions to the community.

“METCO is meant to be disruptive. It is meant to break through some of the isolation when students only attend schools where kids only look like each other. We have leaned into that and also what it means for us our community,” Lussier said. “We have never been more committed to that work.”

 

But, they’ll be the ‘METCO Schools’

 

Another concern from Wellesley supporters of METCO is that four elementary schools will lose their connection to the program.

“By putting Boston kids at just two schools, those schools become METCO schools. It isolates the kids a bit more so when they come together at the middle school, they only know kids from two schools,” said Shana Hardgrave, a Wellesley resident and volunteer director of the METCO Family Friend program. “There has been a lot of value in having METCO at each of the elementary schools and having diversity at the elementary schools.”

Hardgrave said many of the Family Friends—Wellesley families who are paired with the family of a METCO student to help them settle in—are saddened by the change, which means no new Family Friends will be needed at four elementary schools.

In response, Holland said that larger district-wide community events will eventually be planned to offer an opportunity for the entire school community to support METCO students.

 

How we got here

 

Wellesley is one of the seven founding districts in the state-funded METCO (Metropolitan Council for Educational Opportunity). METCO is a voluntary racial integration program that started in 1966, nearly a decade before court-ordered busing began in Boston in 1974.

A recent Tufts University study found that Boston students who attended suburban school districts as part of METCO program from 1990 to 2020 outperformed their peers in nearly every measure: METCO students were more likely to attend college, graduate from four-year schools, and earn more after graduation than their peers in Boston Public Schools. The study also found stronger gains for boys in METCO than girls and for METCO students whose parents didn’t go to college than those whose parents have college degrees.

Wellesley had considered this change for several years but only took a serious look when the town decided to redistrict due to Upham School closing, Holland said.

Before this change was adopted, the school district held two listening sessions with current METCO families and Holland met with students in 6th and 9th grades. The loudest feedback was that current students didn’t want to switch schools, to which the district agreed.

“It was interesting to hear about their experiences as, sometimes, the only BIPOC student in a class,” Holland said. “We also heard a lot about the ride. … Some of our students get on the bus at 6:30 a.m., and I think about that 5-year-old and about how that affects their day.”

By the numbers

 

For the 2024-25 school year, 157 METCO students attend Wellesley schools, including 57 at all six Wellesley elementary schools. Since current METCO students can stay in their elementary schools, the consolidation of students at Hardy and Hunnewell won’t be completed for four to six years, or more.

metco numbers

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Trails Committee Names Path For John Schuler, Father of Wellesley’s Trail System

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Wellesley has named a walking trail in Lower Falls after John G. Schuler, who spent nearly 50 years planning, mapping and building the network of wooded trails that now defines Wellesley’s open space.

Schuler was the chairman of the town’s bicentennial celebrations committee, which included the creating of Centennial Reservation. Over the next 50 years, he advocated for connecting the town’s open space with a network of trails, including the Fuller Brook Path, Crosstown Trail, and Charles River Path.

The new dedicated John G. Schuler Trail runs along the Charles River Path starting at Washington Street near the bridge of flowers behind Waterstone at Wellesley, 27 Washington St. The start is marked by a rock with a memorial plaque that reads: In appreciation of John G. Schuler, the visionary behind Wellesley’s expansive network of wooded trails. His work began in 1975 and continued for almost half a century, supporting public access to open space across town.

Dwin Schuler
Edwina “Dwin” Schuler stands in front of Waterstone at Wellesley with the rock commemorating the newly dedicated walking trail named for her husband, John G. Schuler. (Photo Credit: Joan Gaughan)

“The Trails Committee wanted to remember all of John’s contributions to the founding, planning, and building of today’s trails network. We thought it fitting to have a path named after John that he enjoyed walking behind Waterstone and along the Charles River. So today we are dedicating this trail as the John G Schuler Path,” said Trails Committee member Denny Nackoney, who worked with Schuler on trails for more than 20 years.

Schuler, who died in February at age 92, was a lifelong resident of Wellesley. He was born in Wellesley, graduated from the public school system and later taught at Dana Hall School. He served on Town Meeting from 1953 until fall 2023.

Schuler’s work with trails likely was sparked while he was chairman of the Wellesley Bicentennial Celebrations Committee in 1975. One of the projects conceived and promoted by the committee was a biking and pedestrian trails system in Wellesley. A decade later the Natural Resources Commission (NRC) established the Bikeways and Walkways Study Committee with Schuler as chairman.

In 1996, the Wellesley Trails Committee was formed as a subcommittee of the NRC. As chairman, Schuler helped develop the Crosstown Trail to provide east-west connectivity along the Cochituate Aqueduct. A demonstration trail between Woodlawn Avenue and the Schofield School was constructed in 1997.  This was met with enthusiastic public support for completion of the Crosstown Trail and set the stage for development of a town-wide trails network.

“John was the visionary and founder of the Wellesley Trails Committee. His work started in 1975 and continued for half a century, culminating in Wellesley’s present day elaborate system of marked, wooded trails,” said Joan Gaughan, who also worked with Schuler as a Trails Committee member for nearly 20 years.

The new John G. Schuler Path is in the same neighborhood of Lower Falls where Schuler grew up exploring Wellesley’s open space. He spoke fondly of his escapades in the Town Forest.

Schuler was central to clearing the path that has now been named after him. Before Schuler and the Trails Committee arrived, Nackoney remembers, “that section along Boulevard Road was overgrown, and it was full of litter, tree limbs and dumping debris. Trail Committee members cleaned out the section, loaded it into his little red truck, and John took it to a dumpster provided by the DPW.”

The Wellesley Trails Committee will lead a guided trail walk of the John G. Schuler Trail during Wellesley Wonderful Weekend on May 17, 2025, at 10 a.m.

trail map

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