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.