School Committee approves COLA, salary grids, and two student policies in busy session

WEYMOUTH -- October 6, 2022, Weymouth School Committee approved $196,000 in retroactive staff compensation and two new student policies at its October 6 meeting. The board unanimously backed a 2 percent cost-of-living adjustment for non-union employees, costing $126,000 and retroactive to July 1, 2022, and separately approved salary grid updates for school-year secretaries, analysts, and orientation and mobility specialists at a cost of $70,000, also retroactive to July 1. Assistant Superintendent Robert Smith told the committee the COLA was benchmarked against a 15-year federal average of roughly 2 percent and was "not a salary increase" but an offset for inflation. The board also adopted Policy JRE governing the death of a Weymouth High School student and Policy JQ on student fees, fines, and charges, both through combined second and third readings. A job description for a new HVAC mechanic was approved amid reports of roof leaks, a sprinkler failure, and a boiler leak at Weymouth High School in a single week. The district's early education center project is tracking at $2.6 million to $2.7 million at the 15 percent planning stage, consistent with a long-discussed $3 million target.