Weymouth School Budget Sub Confronts $1.1 Million Full-Day Kindergarten Gap

WEYMOUTH — January 13, 2021 — Weymouth's School Committee Budget Subcommittee opened its fiscal year 2022 budget process facing a projected $1.1 million operating gap to sustain the district's free full-day kindergarten pilot. CFO Brian Smith reported zero state aid growth for fiscal year 2021 and estimated ESSER II federal stimulus funds at between $1.25 million and $1.75 million for Weymouth, though no guidance has been issued. A $250,000 COVID supplemental allocation tied to State Senator Patrick O'Connor remains in pending status. All eight primary schools submitted level-funded expense budgets, with staffing requests — including literacy coaches, math coaches, assistant principals, and behavioral support staff — flagged as unmet needs at Hamilton, Seach, Pingree, and West schools. Subcommittee member Kathy Curran called the $1.2 million kindergarten cost "a lot of money" in a year already projected to be financially challenging, while Chair John Sullivan warned that scaling back full-day kindergarten could leave Weymouth students further behind at the worst possible moment. The committee must decide on the program's future before February 4 to allow kindergarten registration to proceed.