Weymouth School Committee Weighs Johnson Reopening Against Modular Classroom Expansion

WEYMOUTH -- September 12, 2024, Weymouth School Committee opens school year reviewing Johnson School feasibility and STEAM curriculum cuts. The committee heard from Superintendent Melanie Ladd that more than 5,800 students returned for the first week of school, while a facilities subcommittee led by member Kathy Currin reported that a meeting with Mayor Robert Hedlund and consultants from Hill International identified a boiler replacement alone at the shuttered Johnson School at approximately $2 million, with no decision yet on whether to reopen it as a ninth elementary school or instead expand modular classrooms at existing sites. The budget subcommittee reported a $20,000 donation from the Sergeant Michael Chesna Soccer Jamboree that will cover gate fees for all Weymouth Public Schools students at home athletic events this year. Teacher Christina Keefe told the committee during public comment that the elimination of the STEAM program has left grades one through three with zero scheduled science instruction, calling it "a travesty" and warning that fifth-grade teachers cannot cover six years of science standards in seven months ahead of the MCAS. A tentative collective bargaining agreement on the Unit B contract is also in progress, with details still being finalized.