Waltham, MA: Out-of-area SPED placements up 109% in one year, $1.42M to $3M
The final FY27 budget book for Waltham Public Schools, approved during the School Committee’s July 9 meeting, closed the loop on a contentious budget season that saw strategic disagreements between Superintendent Marisa Mendonsa and Mayor Jeannette A. McCarthy.
A central variance between the two visions for the future of the district was the inclusion of new administrative positions both in the central office and at Waltham High School.
Mendonsa saw the positions as essential to putting WHS back on the right track, while McCarthy thought the money would be best spent on more classroom teachers. . . .
Much of that is $924,000 in salary increases for special ed paraprofessionals, who support classroom teachers. Some $887,058 is allocated for special ed teacher salary increases. But the largest percentage increase from last year’s budget is in out-of-district collaborative placements. Waltham is obliged to pay for tuition at specialized schools when it cannot serve a student’s needs, including transportation to and from that school. These placement costs are up 109% from last year, from $1.42 million to just under $3 million.
Transportation is also up 25% from last year to $1.67 million.. . .
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