Superintendent’s Bulletin 10/30/26

Dear Colleagues,

I hope you each had a productive week as we head into the final weekend of the month. I want to give a special shout-out to our colleague, John Brown, as today marks his retirement after serving as our Athletics Director for the past 20 years. The AD position in any district is extremely challenging given the range of sports involved, complex operational issues, and often the high energy and expectations that accompany school sporting events.  John has navigated this complexity with a constant desire to do right by our kids and support their growth, whether they were walking onto a field or gym for the first time or competing for scholarships to D1 colleges. 

We are also honoring another colleague today, Karen Thurber, who is retiring as our PreK-5 Science Materials Technician.  Since 1994, Karen has worked behind the scenes to organize and distribute science materials throughout the district, while also supporting the work of our production center. (And I’ve always appreciated her collection of colorful Crocs!) 

Please join me in congratulating these two outstanding colleagues after such long tenures in WPS! 

I hope everyone has a safe and fun Halloween weekend and please don’t forget to turn your clocks back one hour on Saturday night! 

      

Best, David

November 11 – Veterans Day (Schools & Offices Closed) 

November 17 – School Committee Meeting

November 26-27 – Thanksgiving Recess (Schools & Offices Closed) 

November 30 – Professional Day (No School for Students) 

The WHS Child Lab is now accepting applications for the 2027-2028 school year. Children who will be three years old or four years old by September 1st, 2027 are eligible to apply. Please contact Katie Bender at benderk@wellesleyps.org for an application. All applications are due by November 15th.

During the 2025-2026 school year, the Wellesley Public Schools announced that it would no longer accept graduate credit courses offered through the Albion Center at Idaho State University. This decision resulted from concerns about the rigor of Albion Center coursework.  Because of the same concerns, the Wellesley Public Schools will no longer accept graduate credits taken through the Teaching Channel or Learner’s Edge. This coursework continues to be eligible for Professional Development Points (PDPs).

This decision follows a recent announcement from the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE), distinguishing credits eligible for graduate degrees from non-degree eligible graduate credits. Non-degree eligible graduate credits are offered by a college/university for professional development purposes, but do not count toward a formal degree program. Starting June 8, 2026, for the purpose of awarding PDPs for recertification, DESE will value non-degree eligible credits at 7.5 PDPs per semester hour, compared to 22.5 PDPs per semester hour for degree-eligible courses.

Please reach out to Sandy Trach, Assistant Superintendent of Teaching and Learning, with any questions.

The Massachusetts Executive Office of Education issued guidance to help districts and other educational entities plan their response protocol for interactions with federal immigration officers. We are reviewing our current internal protocol for interacting with immigration officers to ensure it aligns with the recommendations in the document. Once any adjustments are made, the district will share more information about our protocol with WPS staff.

As part of Wellesley Public Schools’ ongoing work to ensure that we are fully compliant with the digital accessibility requirements by April 2028, we want to share two draft resources that are now available for your reference. First, we have gathered a variety of materials on our WPS Digital Accessibility website, which will continue to be updated over time. Additionally, a Digital Accessibility Checklist is available to use as a handy reference when creating or updating documents, slide decks, and webpages. This checklist is a quick way to help verify that your materials feature properly formatted headings, alternative text for images, and are fully screen-readable for all students and families.

On April 28, the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (BESE) unanimously approved a new alternative pathway for educator licensure. This change allows qualified candidates to waive the Communication and Literacy Skills test (CLST) if they meet specific criteria, such as holding an advanced degree, completing a state-approved prep program, possessing a comparable out-of-state license, or having two years of documented instructional experience.

This milestone is a testament to our collective advocacy, including AFT and the MTA, as well as Leader Alice Peisch, Senator and the MA Black and Latino Caucus, for their essential testimony and letters of support.

For a full list of eligibility requirements and FAQs, please visit the DESE website.

The MTRS has many members who do not have a beneficiary on file. This Spring, these members will receive either an email or a mailed letter (if no email address on file) asking them to designate a beneficiary.

To designate or change a beneficiary, members must sign and mail the Beneficiary Designation Form to our Main Office.

If MTRS members have questions, please email annstmt@trb.state.ma.us.

The Town of Wellesley offers an Employee Assistance Program (EAP) to support employees and their families.  Effective July 1, 2025, CMG Associates is the new EAP provider (see announcement). Employees may want to access the EAP because of emotional difficulties, life stress, family difficulties, concerns about substance abuse or other addictive behavior, legal or financial problems, or other personal issues. The EAP is completely free, confidential, and available at all times (day or night, weekdays, weekends, and holidays). Employees may call CMG Associates at 888-851-7032, or they may visit www.cmgassociates.com, click on the link entitled EAP Log-In, and use the User ID: WELL.

SMART Plan (457 Voluntary Retirement Savings) 

May make changes throughout the year through the company.

Work directly through US Omni and the SMART Plan.

Email AskHR@Wellesleyps.org. The Human Resources Department is happy to assist you.  

For all Internal Job Postings, please go to “Internal Job Postings” under the Faculty tab of the District’s website. How to Apply for WPS Internal Job Postings as a New Internal Applicant