Wayland Schools Move Toward MSBA Application as Facilities Options Range to $900 Million

WAYLAND — June 10, 2026 — Wayland School Committee hears five school rebuilding options ranging from $490 million to $900 million as January MSBA deadline nears. Architects James Liebman and Laurie Coles of HMFH presented year-end findings on a pre-K through grade 8 facilities master plan, with options spanning 18 to 37 years depending on the degree of school consolidation; Option E, consolidating three elementary schools into one building, is the fastest and cheapest at $490 million over 18 years, while a status-quo four-school rebuild would run $865 million over 32 years. Conceptual base repair costs for existing buildings total roughly $206 million, a figure HMFH recommended doubling for planning purposes. The committee voted unanimously to approve updates to its technology use policy adding AI governance language and designating ParentSquare as the required primary communication channel. Loker Elementary Principal Brian Jones proposed a pilot reducing individual instrumental music lesson time in grades 4 and 5 from 75 minutes per week to 45, citing a 160-minute weekly gap between aspirational and available instructional time; the committee offered qualified support but took no vote, with Jones committing to communicate with families before September.