Winchester School Committee approves consent reallocation, calendar change and policy updates

The Winchester School Committee recorded several unanimous actions at its Jan. 22 meeting.

Consent agenda: The committee approved a reallocation of $31,000 originally budgeted for a controls project at McCall to LED lighting under a Green Communities program. Committee members amended the consent motion to include a "pending award approval" clause to preserve flexibility if an award is not granted. The reallocation passed by unanimous consent.

Calendar change: The committee voted to revise the 2025–26 school calendar as presented: March 3 will count as a half student day (combined with a half professional-development day) and another workshop day will be moved so the district meets the 180 student-day requirement. The committee asked staff to confirm vendor scheduling and childcare coverage and to notify families; the motion passed unanimously.

Policy updates: On second reading, the committee approved updates to sections B and E of the policy manual (additions per Massachusetts Association of School Committees recommendations and some deletions); members said some policies had legal review and directed staff to incorporate the changes immediately into the district policy manual. That motion also passed unanimously.

Adjournment: A motion to adjourn carried and the meeting ended at 8:27 p.m.