Wayland School Committee approves ropes course funding and device leases

WAYLAND — May 27, 2026 — Wayland School Committee accepts $52,850 state earmark for new high school ropes course. The unanimous vote backs a $91,360 Project Adventure replacement for a 1979-era course, with $38,500 coming from Wellness and Athletic balances and donations; Superintendent David Fleishman credited Reps. David Linsky and the retiring Carmine Gentile. Members also approved multi-year HP leases on state contract ITC83 for a fall device refresh that moves high schoolers from MacBooks to 14-inch touchscreen Chromebooks and teachers to MacBook Neo laptops, with Director of Digital Learning Jen warning the district is "in worse than COVID times" on supply chain. Director of Finance Kirsteen Patterson reported $36.5 million spent or encumbered against a $54,987,318 FY26 budget, a $53,000 custodial overtime deficit, and $230,971 in newly secured Extraordinary Relief.