Waltham School Committee Unanimously Approves FY27 School Budget

WALTHAM -- July 9, 2026, Waltham School Committee approves FY27 school budget 5-0 and reviews state-required growth plan. The committee unanimously approved the district's fiscal year 2027 operating budget at its July 9 meeting after Chief Financial Officer Steven Mazza walked members through a series of revisions, including a corrected formula error that had double-deducted a salary and understated the personnel account by roughly $175,000, and a districtwide reduction in equipment lease costs following a renegotiated copier contract with Xerox. A special education position at the high school was reduced in the final budget, though Mazza confirmed the position is vacant and could be restored using contingency funds. Superintendent Dr. Limarys Mendoza also presented the district's new growth plan, a document now required annually by DESE because Waltham High School is part of the state's Accelerated Achievement Network, covering six domains from leadership and curriculum to finance, with progress to be tracked through MCAS, iReady, DIBELS, and graduation data. The plan was submitted to DESE by the June 30 deadline.