Weymouth School Committee Reviews Dozens of New High School Courses for 2023-24

WEYMOUTH -- January 19, 2023, Weymouth School Committee defers action on new high school courses and a $17.3 million capital plan while teachers fill public comment with contract appeals. Department heads presented sweeping changes to the Weymouth High program of studies for 2023-24, including new AP Human Geography, AP African American Studies, AP Physics 2, and AP Pre-Calculus courses, with Assistant Principal Becky and department heads leading the walkthrough. Assistant Superintendent Brian Smith outlined a five-year capital request totaling $17.3 million, with $5.2 million in top-priority items and roughly $4.5 to $5 million in funding already identified. Six speakers during public comment, including teachers Rachel Collins and Jill Berry, parent and teacher Katie Montero, and student body president Daniel Rios, urged the board to settle a long-delayed educators' contract, with Collins citing $4,256,487 in ESSER III funds for unfinished learning and $1,644,435 for mental health that she argued had not translated into additional direct-service staff. Smith cautioned the committee that absorbing ESSER funding into the operating budget poses a far steeper challenge than the full-day kindergarten rollout, as ESSER represents roughly 10 percent of the district's budget compared to about 1.5 percent for kindergarten.