School Committee approves two career and technical education department policies, hears proposal to revise district meal charge policy

The School Committee approved two policies regarding the district’s career and technical education department at its meeting on Nov. 19.

Committee members unanimously approved the Middle School Pathway Exploration Policy, which supports a state-regulated CTE exploration program for middle school students.

Additionally, Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction Shannon Conley presented a second reading of the Chapter 74 Recruitment, Admission and Retention Policy, which includes a blind lottery enrollment system for students interested in the 14 CTE programs at Waltham High School and a waitlist for programs that become over-enrolled.

The committee approved the policy, though committee member James Zanghi voted against it.

At the committee’s meeting on Nov. 5, Zanghi expressed his concern that a blind lottery wouldn’t ensure that students interested in CTE programs would be accepted into their program of choice. He instead expressed support for a weighted lottery system that would determine lottery eligibility based on a student’s attendance, disciplinary history and interest.

According to Conley, the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education required the approved policies to be submitted by Dec. 1.

Revised meal charge policy?

The committee also heard a proposed revision to the Waltham Public Schools meal charge policy that would update language in the policy regarding the district’s free breakfast and lunch program and negative account balance notifications.

Chad Mazza, Assistant Superintendent for Finance and Operations, explained that the proposed revision would update existing language to reflect the district’s approval to operate its free breakfast and lunch program through June 2028 under the Community Eligibility Provision.

CEP is a free meal service option for schools in low-income communities that doesn’t require collection of household applications for students to qualify. Instead, the program reimburses schools based on the number of students who participate in programs like Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families.

Items like milk, snacks and other beverages as well as second meals or meals that don’t follow reimbursable meal requirements do not qualify under CEP.

According to the revised policy, WPS participates in both the National School Lunch Program and the School Breakfast Program, sponsored by the United States Department of Agriculture, which operates CEP.

The proposed revision also includes the addition of language to support a shift from biweekly to weekly email reminders generated by the Food Service Office for negative account balances and coordination from the food service director, food service manager and designated staff to reach out to families regarding repayment concerns.

Weekly reminders, Mazza said, improve both the consistency and timeliness of outstanding balance notifications to families.

The committee voted unanimously to approve the proposed policy update at its first reading.

Additionally, the School Committee:

• Accepted two donations: $2,500 from the Henry P. Kendall Foundation for Waltham School Nutrition and $1,500 from WHS parents Elisha A. Deluca and Patrick Orciani to support the WHS class of 2026. 

• Heard WHS student council updates about the theater department’s success in the first show of its musical “Anything Goes,” and the beginning of the winter sports season.

• Heard updates from Kennedy Middle School, Plympton Elementary School and Northeast Elementary School improvement plans based on student learning goals, professional practice goals and student engagement or family and community engagement goals.

• Approved a request from the Fine and Performing Arts department for the Waltham Honors Ensembles’ trip to New York City, scheduled for May 30-31.

• Congratulated Kennedy Middle School for reaching pre-pandemic math and literacy Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System testing scores.

• Congratulated Kennedy Middle School teacher Elizabeth Sturges for receiving the 2024-2025 Veterans of Foreign Wars Massachusetts Teacher of the Year award.

• Congratulated WHS athletes for earning a variety of Dual County League recognitions and the WHS varsity cheerleading team for winning first place at the Division 1 North Regional Championship.

• Congratulated WPS Food Service Director April Liles for earning the General Mills for K-12 Schools TrayBlazer Award and being honored on a Wheaties cereal box to honor her 21 years of work in the position.

• Recognized the WHS quiz bowl team for earning a spot to compete for GBH’s High School Quiz Show State Champion. The 17th season of the competition is set to air in February.