WATERTOWN -- May 18, 2026, Watertown School Committee hears improvement plans with major special education and grading overhauls for 2026-27. At a May 18 meeting at Lowell Elementary School, principals from Watertown Middle School
Watertown School Committee voted unanimously to adopt a bell-to-bell ban on personal cell phones for all students, kindergarten through 12th grade. The new policy, numbered JICI, bars device use from the opening to closing bell with exceptions for students under an IEP, 504 plan or medical plan.
Watertown teachers union presented a special education task force report urging eligibility and transition reforms.
Watertown School Committee voted to raise optional bus fees and detailed ICE response plans.
Watertown's Buildings and Grounds Subcommittee approved a revised school rental agreement, raising custodial fees and phasing in access to the new high school.
The Watertown School Committee's Budget and Finance Subcommittee voted to recommend a $500 bus fee and a scaled-back busing plan for next year.
The Watertown School Committee's Policy Subcommittee voted unanimously to send revised religious observance and building-access policies to the full committee.
Watertown School Committee voted 7-0 to approve a $64,590,019 budget for fiscal year 2027.
The Watertown School Committee's Policy Subcommittee voted to forward a K-12 "bell-to-bell" personal device ban to the full committee.
Watertown School Committee reviewed a new special education strategy and opened a hearing on a $64,590,018 fiscal 2027 budget. The budget, a 4 percent increase over fiscal 2026, adds a special education coach and reinstates athletic fees families call "certainly a hardship."
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