Waltham School Panel Advances $106M Budget, Deadlocks on Academic Calendar

WALTHAM — April 8, 2026 — Waltham School Committee advanced a preliminary $106 million FY27 budget and deadlocked 3-3 on a revised school calendar at its April 8 meeting. Superintendent Nisha Mendonza and Assistant Superintendent Chad Mazza presented the budget, which represents a 10.91 percent overall increase — down from 11.7 percent at the March 11 workshop — driven largely by a projected $5 million rise in out-of-district special education tuition and transportation costs for 109 students. The administration credited new savings including a switch to the Lilypad software platform, saving roughly $140,000, and an increase in the projected circuit breaker reimbursement to $4 million, for reducing the percentage increase by nearly a full point. A committee vote on the revised 2026-2027 academic calendar failed 3-3 and was tabled, with members citing formatting errors and concern about the three-day window between seniors' last day on June 9 and graduation on June 13. The committee voted unanimously to opt out of state school choice for another year, to schedule a May 6 public hearing on renaming Northeast Elementary School for the late former superintendent John J. DeDona, and to formally request written answers on enrollment procedures at Waltham Valor High School, where current enrollment stands at 52 or 53 students and a school-versus-program designation debate could affect how DESE measures the district's dropout rate.