Colleagues,
I hope you each had a productive week. I want to provide you with a quick update on our budget process for FY22. Due to the pandemic, our timeline is more extended than usual and we plan to present the Administration’s recommended budget to the School Committee on January 12th. The School Committee has directed us to model a budget reflecting the Town guideline of a 2.5 percent increase over the current year. Additionally, they have asked us to model a “level service” budget, including possible investments that may help students recover lost ground from our closure and hybrid reopening. Given the amount of non-discretionary spending in our budget, this will surely mean some difficult choices and prioritization going into next year. We will keep you posted on this progress and provide a staff preview of the draft budget before it is submitted to the School Committee next month.
We were pleased to learn this week that the MCAS exam for our current Junior Class has been postponed. We were extremely anxious about managing this test in January, which would have required that WHS return to a full-remote model to accommodate this testing over multiple days. We have not received a new date nor any new guidance on the Spring MCAS schedule at this point.
Next year’s draft Academic Calendar (SY2021-2022) was presented to the School Committee on Tuesday and is also posted on our website. If you have any questions or feedback, please let us know in the coming week. The School Committee is slated to take action on this calendar on Dec. 22nd.
Finally, a huge shout-out to Patty Hickey, our athletic trainer at WHS who is retiring today after approximately 40 years of service to WPS. If you have ever attended any WHS game, I’m guessing you have seen Patty on the sidelines carefully tending to and counseling our athletes. The outpouring of testimonials in response to this news speaks to the influence that Patty has had on the lives of our students for the past four decades. What an incredible legacy that we hope to further memorialize by naming the Athletic Training Room at WHS in Patty’s honor in near future.
Thanks for all that you continue to do for our students and please stay safe this weekend.
Best,
David
Reminder to All Staff: Please register (asap) and drop off your COVID saliva sample at your school by 9 am on Monday.
Calendar
12/22/20 – School Committee Meeting – Remote Online – 6:30 pm
12/24-1/1/21 – Year-end Vacation – No School
1/04/21 – School Reopens
1/05/21 – School Committee Meeting – Remote Online – 6:30 pm
Clarification Regarding Use of Face Masks During Breaks
Please note that the Governor’s recent order requiring the use of face coverings in public places provides for exceptions in specific circumstances (see Section 2d of the Revised Order), including exceptions ordered by DESE which authorizes the removal of face masks during designated mask breaks that should occur throughout the school day.
Retiring?
Believe it or not, we are working on next year’s budget. Please let us know if you intend to retire some time this or next school year by sending an email to AskHR@wellesleyps.org with the date that you intend to retire. Thanks so much!
The Human Resources Department
Fraudulent Unemployment Claims (Update)
The Human Resources Office continues to get numerous unemployment claims every day. Many of these unemployment claims are fraudulent. Please be aware that Marissa Capone is helping our Human Resources Department gather more information about these claims. If she reaches out to you to inquire if you filed a claim, it is okay to respond to her.
If a fraudulent claim has been filed on your behalf, Marissa will provide you with additional information about how to report the fraud. Thank you in advance for working with Marissa so that we can properly report this fraud.
Human Relations Services
The Human Relation Services (HRS) can help. Wellesley Public Schools has contracted with HRS to provide up to ten free counseling visits for you and/or your family members. This program is designed to help you deal with stresses of life and work –including personal and family issues, drug or alcohol problems, and job related tension. It offers prevention and intervention to reduce these stresses and improve coping skills.
HRS is located at 11 Chapel Place in Wellesley and can be reached at 781-235-4950. This is a confidential service. Wellesley Public Schools is not aware of the names of employees or their family members who utilize this service.
Do you have a question for the WPS Human Resources Department? Email AskHR@Wellesleyps.org. The Human Resources Department is happy to assist you.
WPS Internal Job Postings on District Website
For all Internal Job Postings, please go to “Internal Job Postings” under the Faculty tab of the District’s website.