Schools

Watertown School Bus Fees Increasing, District May Buy Electric Buses

By |

by Pixabay

School bus fees will rise $200 for students who don’t qualify for the mandated busing areas of town in the 2026-27 school year. School officials will also look at purchasing its own buses, which would be electric. Increasing school bus fees was one of the steps taken to balance the school budget for Fiscal Year 2027. School officials had to close a $2.5 million gap. This year, students were charged $300 to ride the school bus, with a family cap of $475, said Superintendent Dede Galdston.

Schools

Busing Available to High School Moxley Campus, Fewer Spots for Hosmer Bus Next Year

By |

by Pixabay

Students living more than three-quarters of a mile from the temporary Watertown High School campus at Moxley Field will be able to ride the school bus for free next year. The School Committee also heard that the number of seats on the bus to Hosmer Elementary School will be reduced starting in the fall. Superintendent Dede Galdston said that while the free busing to the high school will be available, it is intended for students would ride it regularly. “It is for students committed to riding the bus for the school year. It is not public transportation.

Homepage Featured

Several Watertown Students Injured in School Bus Accident

By |

A school bus carrying Watertown Public School students collided with a vehicle on Belmont Street on Oct. 19, 2022. Several students suffered minor injuries. Multiple students went to hospital after suffering injuries when a school bus carrying Watertown elementary school student got into an accident on Belmont Street on Wednesday morning. The bus had been carrying 44 students to the Lowell West campus at the former St.

Fiscal 2021 Budget

Prelim School Budget Adds Handful of Positions, Most of Increase Goes to “Level Service”

By |

The School Committee got the first look at next year’s school budget, and while the Town Manager has allotted a 5 percent increase, most of the increase will be used to maintain the same level of services as the current school year. There will be a handful of positions added to the district. On Monday night, Heidi Perkins, the district’s Director of Finance and Operations, told the School Committee that nearly 95 percent of the $2.52 million increase for Fiscal Year 2021 (the 2020-21 school year) will go to maintaining a level service budget. The total budget is $52.9 million. “Available for the FY21 budget priorities will be $145,022, or 5.8 percent of the 5 percent increase,” Perkins said.

School Bus

School Committee Changes Rules for Who Gets Priority on School Buses

By |

Students who live farther from school will get priority for seats on the school bus under the changes to the Watertown Public School’s Transportation Policy, passed by the School Committee last week. The state requires districts to provide free transportation for students in grades K-5 who live 2 miles or more walking distance from school, said School Committee member Eileen Hsu-Balzer, who is chair of the Policy Subcommittee. In Watertown the limit for free bus transportation is dropped to 1.5 miles for those going to Hosmer Elementary School. Also, sixth graders who live 2 miles or more from Watertown Middle School get to ride for free. The Watertown Schools also provide free transportation for students attending the Minuteman Regional Vocational Technical High School in Lexington.