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Needham Bank, Wellesley
Write Ahead, Wellesley

In non-binding vote, Wellesley College students approve admitting nonbinary and transgender men applicants

March 15, 2023 by Bob Brown Leave a Comment

Wellesley College students on Tuesday voted in favor of a non-binding referendum to make transgender men and nonbinary people assigned male at birth eligible for admission.

Students also voted in favor of replacing gender-specific language with gender-neutral language in college communications.

The school administration said it will not change its policies following the college government ballot vote: “Although there is no plan to revisit its mission as a women’s college or its admissions policy, the College will continue to engage all students, including transgender male and nonbinary students, in the important work of building an inclusive academic community where everyone feels they belong.”

Many student groups, from the choir to the newspaper, over the past week have issued statements in opposition to a March 6 memo from President Dr. Paul Johnson titled “Affirming our mission and embracing our community.”

In that memo, Johnson wrote that: “What does Wellesley mean by ‘a women’s college’? In accordance with our admission policy, Wellesley admits applicants who identify and live consistently as women, regardless of the gender they were assigned at birth. Our community includes students from a broad spectrum of racial, ethnic, geographic, socioeconomic, and religious groups. We know that the experience of living and learning as part of a diverse student body leads to better educational outcomes and helps prepare students to be the leaders, changemakers, and citizens the world so desperately needs.”

The college in 2015 updated its gender policy to allow admission for transgender women.

 

transgender pride flag wellesley college
Transgender pride flag colors at Wellesley College

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Filed Under: Embracing diversity, Wellesley College

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EXPLO, Wellesley
Wellesley Hills Junior Women's Club

Wellesley schools call for early release due to stormy weather

March 14, 2023 by admin Leave a Comment

From the Wellesley Public Schools:

Based on the timing of the incoming storm, the Wellesley Public Schools will be activating an early release schedule on Tuesday, March 14. These are the dismissal times by level:

  1. PAWS will dismiss at 11:30am.  There will be no afternoon PreK program today.  
  2. Elementary schools will dismiss at 12pm. There will be no afternoon WCCC programs today.
  3. Wellesley Middle School will dismiss at 11:20am.
  4. Wellesley High School will dismiss at 11:30am.

Due to the timing of the release, lunch will not be served today.  All buses will complete their regular routes for dismissal at these times.

All afternoon and evening activities/rentals are cancelled to help ensure that parking lots are cleared for plowing and to help ensure an on-time start on Wednesday. 

Filed Under: Education, Kids, Safety

Page Waterman, Wellesley
London Harness, Wellesley
Wellesley Lacrosse

All are welcome to the Wellesley High Diversity Club’s Women’s Day Event

March 14, 2023 by Deborah Brown Leave a Comment

International Women's Day, Wellesley

Filed Under: Clubs, Education, Embracing diversity, Wellesley High School

Taste of Wellesley, Rotary Club

Wellesley HS Acastock tickets available at the door for Saturday, March 11 show

March 10, 2023 by admin Leave a Comment

WHS Acastock tickets will be available at the door for the Saturday, March 11, 7pm show.
Wellesley High School Acastock
Wellesley High School Acastock

5 great reasons to attend Acastock

  1. Great singing! All four of the WHS a capella groups are tremendous and rival many of the collegiate a cappella groups in the area. You will not be disappointed.
  2. Great education! Come see first-hand what happens when students use what they learn in the choral classroom and make it their own. Acastock is an incredible showcase of student work.
  3. Sense of community. There is nothing like a full house of appreciative audience members celebrating the time and talents of our students.
  4. Tradition and legacy. WHS Acastock has taken place for over 20 years and has consistently been recognized as one of the more popular a cappella events in our state. Come see why.
  5. Support of the WHS performing arts. In 2020 COVID all but eliminated any chance to share the talents of our students in the performing arts. We are rebuilding and reestablishing events that have been treasures for our community. The students have worked exceptionally hard to prepare Acastock, and your support means the world to our students.
We hope to see you at WHS on Saturday, March 11, at 7pm.

Filed Under: Entertainment, Music, Wellesley High School

Deland, Gibson, Wellesley

Team registration now open for annual Wellesley Spelling Bee

March 7, 2023 by Bob Brown Leave a Comment

The Wellesley Education Foundation will hold its annual Spelling Bee on Wednesday, March 29 at 7 pm at Wellesley High School and spectators are welcome.  Just as in years past each team will include three spellers. Teams interested in participating in this year’s Bee are encouraged to apply.

The Wellesley Spelling Bee is a WEF community fundraising event which raises money to fund enrichment programs for the Wellesley Public Schools. Town celebrities judge and officiate the competition. The Wellesley cable station records the event and broadcasts it several times. A program is printed for the Spelling Bee, and The Swellesley Report always provides coverage.

The 2022 winner was the Sustainable Wellesley Team:  Katie Smith Milway, Chris Crowley, and Elizabeth May.  The team clinched the win by correctly spelling the word “ichnolite,” a fossil footprint. Last year’s Bee raised $45K, which will help fund WEF grants and speakers in the Wellesley Public Schools.

wefbee
The 2022 Champs: Sustainable Wellesley team with emcee Mike Dowling (Photo by George Roberts)

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Filed Under: Education, Fundraising

Rick Cram, leader

Fewer Wellesley Public School students, but costs still up $3 million

March 5, 2023 by admin 5 Comments

By contributing reporter Jennifer Bonniwell

Wellesley Public Schools are asking for an additional $3.1 million in taxpayer funding—a 3.68 percent increase—for the 2023-2024 school year, with the biggest surprise being a state- mandated $710,000 increase in special education expenses.

The proposed budget does not cut any existing teaching or curriculum, except related to enrollment declines. The district said it would cost $2.6 million more than last year’s budget to maintain the same level of teaching and curriculum, or a 3.06 percent annual increase.

The proposed $87.9 million school budget makes up about 45 percent of the town’s $201 million fiscal 2024 budget. The School Committee approved the budget on Feb. 7. The Advisory Committee reviewed the budget during its Feb. 8 and March 1 meetings and is expected to vote on the budget in advance of Town Meeting, which begins March 27.

The full 388-page school budget is available on the district’s website.

Costs Up, Students Down

The school budget increased despite a continued decline in enrollment, a disconnect that the school district wasn’t fully able to explain to the Advisory Committee.

Enrollment in Wellesley schools has fallen 8 percent from 4,426 students in kindergarten through 12 th grade in fall 2020 to 4,069 students in fall 2022. This year, 24 percent of school-aged children living in Wellesley do not attend Wellesley public schools.

“I see this as a perennial question, ‘If we have fewer students why is it costing us more to educate them,’ “ said School Committee chairwoman Leda Eizenberg at the March 1 Advisory Committee meeting (school presentation begins at the 1-hour 42-minute mark of the Wellesley Media video). “The lion’s share of expenses are nondiscretionary and have largely to do with step and lane [salary] increases within the educator contract, as well as health benefits and expenses and inflation.”

But Eizenberg also pointed to what she called “pandemic-recovery-related” costs to try to get back some of the learning loss and provide mental health support.

For example, the district plans to hire another math teacher and math coach at the middle school and launch a new “flex block” to allows middle school students to get extra help in English and math. And the district plans to add an adjustment counselor at each of the elementary schools to help address mental health issues.

Contract Negotiations

The proposed budget includes $77.8 million in salary and health benefits, which is $1.57 million or 1.85 percent higher than last year. Salary changes are due to raises provided for in current contracts, minus savings due to turnover and enrollment declines, according to a presentation by Superintendent David Lussier at the Feb. 8 Advisory Committee meeting (schools presentation begins at about 24 minutes into the Wellesley Media recording).

There is no allowance for potential expenses due to ongoing negotiations with the Wellesley Educators Association. The School Committee cited confidentiality in negotiations and has declined to estimate how much a new contract may add to the proposed budget.

If the new contracts negotiated with the teacher unions result in additional expenses, those would be disclosed in the district’s adjusted budget in fall 2023, Lussier said.

Special Ed Costs Up 14%

The biggest driver in the budget increase, Lussier said, was the 14 percent state-mandated increase in special education out-of-district placements. In past years, these special education costs increased about 2.5 percent per year when service remained the same. The 14 percent mandate applies to all Massachusetts school districts.

“Wellesley is not alone in being surprised and frustrated with this mandate from the state. We understand the state’s desire to support really important services for kids that we know were impacted by the pandemic. The mechanism the state chose to do this caught everyone by surprise at a time of difficult budget challenges. This was something none of us saw coming or could have projected,” Lussier said.

Lussier said the district decided to forgo other additional expenses, such as hiring a new diversity recruitment specialist, because of the unexpected special education expense.

New AP Classes, Lower Bus Fees

The district has asked for an additional $505,529 to fund strategic priorities and $15,890 for other critical needs. For example, the proposed budget includes a new AP Chinese Language and Culture course, an AP Capstone Seminar and an intensive robotics Innovation Lab at the high school. The district also plans to hire a social studies department head for the elementary schools.

“You’ll see that this budget affirms our commitment to excellence as one of our core values in a variety of ways, from more use of data to drive instruction at the elementary level to an increase in math teachers and specialists at the middle school to additional AP offerings, a supportive science course, a Spanish class for home speakers and new electives at the high school,” said School Committee chairwoman Leda Eizenberg at the Feb. 8 Advisory Committee meeting.

The district also plans to reduce the optional bus transportation fee from $500 to $400 per child. The bus fee change, which will cost the district about $80,000, is part of a multi-year effort to reduce student fees. Last year, the district ended the activity and visual arts fees for middle school and high school students. In the 2023-2024 budget, the bus fee change is classified as a diversity, equity and inclusion initiative.

More About Enrollment

The district provided several charts to demonstrate the ebb and flow of public school enrollment. The peak was in fall 1969, when Wellesley schools had nearly 6,200 students, followed by the nadir in fall 1990 of about 2,800 students. The district expects enrollment to continue to decline, with enrollment dropping to 3,500 by fall 2027. (See FY24 WPS Advisory Budget Presentation, page 14).

As for causes of this current decline, Lussier noted that the town may have fewer children – 273 births in 2006 compared to 165 births in 2019 – and offered anecdotal evidence that parents moved students to private schools during the pandemic. The district has started surveying parents who withdraw students to learn more about the trend. The district also engages an enrollment consultant every few years – the most recent in 2022 — to help with projections.

State Receipts Up

State funding under Chapter 70 has increased over the past four years even as Wellesley’s public school enrollment has declined. In 2023, Wellesley received $9.6 million in state funding via Chapter 70, up 2.75% from 2022 and up 7.9% from 2019. The continued increase in state funding is due to adjustments in certain components of the funding formula set under the Student Opportunity Act, according to a written response from the school district to questions from the Advisory Committee.

Savings from Seven to Six Schools

Although building two new schools has been costly, eventually the town will see some savings from closing one of the seven elementary schools, according to district projections. In fiscal year 2025, the school district expects to save $430,789, mostly due to savings on employing a school nurse, principal and secretary, the district said in a written response to questions from the Advisory Committee.

Filed Under: Education

Wellesley High School hosting standards-based grading discussion

March 5, 2023 by Bob Brown 3 Comments

The topic of standards-based grading will be discussed at public forum on March 9 from 7-9pm at Wellesley High School.

The meeting will include a presentation, case study, and Q&A.

A presentation on the subject was given at the Jan. 31 School Committee meeting.


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Filed Under: Education, Wellesley High School

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