Waltham School Committee unanimously adopts new middle school science curriculum, seeks $1.3 million for special education gap

WALTHAM — February 25, 2026 — Waltham School Committee adopts new middle school science curriculum and seeks $1.3 million from the City Council to cover a special education placement shortfall. The committee voted 6-0 Wednesday to approve Open SciEd, a phenomena-based open educational resource aligned to Next Generation Science Standards, as the new sixth- through eighth-grade curriculum following a two-and-a-half-year selection process led by Science Director Matt Burns. In a separate 6-0 vote, members authorized Mayor Jeannette McCarthy to ask the City Council for a $1,316,009 supplemental appropriation to close a projected deficit in out-of-district special education tuition and transportation costs — a gap that persists after $5.6 million in state circuit breaker reimbursement and roughly $780,000 in carry-forward funds were applied to a $9.1 million projected tuition expenditure. Assistant Superintendent for Finance and Operations Michael Mazza told the board the district currently has 104 students in out-of-district placements, correcting a previously reported figure of 110, and attributed the structural shortfall to post-COVID increases in referrals that the district's budget has not kept pace with since fiscal year 2023. Nine members of the public — including five Waltham High School students — spoke against a proposed reduction of the high school course load from eight classes to seven, with student Olivia Priori warning that the change would make seven-and-a-half-credit AP courses "nearly impossible to take" and parent Michelle Campbell arguing that the math "will decimate the arts" across every student population from CTE to advanced academics.