Waltham School Committee Votes to Withdraw $7.7 Million Budget Request to City Council

WALTHAM — June 17, 2026 — Waltham School Committee votes to rescind its $7.7 million City Council budget request after superintendent identifies $3.6 million in calculation errors. Superintendent Dr. Denise Mendonza told the committee at the June 17 meeting that a post-June 3 review confirmed the FY27 out-of-district special education contingency had been overstated by approximately $2 million and that an additional $1.6 million in circuit breaker reimbursement — a figure Mayor Jeannette McCarthy had flagged at the prior meeting — had not been applied, reducing the school department's proposed budget from $136,874,648 to $133,213,257, an increase of approximately 8 percent over FY26. McCarthy separately presented a line-by-line analysis arriving at her recommended $132,847,897, a gap of $365,360 from the superintendent's revised figure — widening to $465,360 after Mendonza added $100,000 for a new kindergarten position at Plimpton School, where enrollment has surged in recent weeks. The committee voted 5-0 to direct Mendonza to consult with the city clerk and Council President on how to withdraw the earlier, larger request. The panel also received a six-month community-committee vision for 617 Lexington Street, including proposals to expand the dual language school to four sections per grade and eventually through eighth grade, launch a full-day pre-K program targeting a FY2027-28 opening, and add community programming partnerships — none of which have been costed out.