School Committee Approves Capital Plan, EMT Fund

School Committee · Meeting of September 16, 2026

Brookline School Committee opened its new year by approving the FY28 capital improvements program and a revolving fund for an EMT certification partnership with Mass Bay Community College. Chair Bob Weintraub thanked voters for passing a $23 million override, saying it let the district focus on "teaching and learning" instead of cuts. Superintendent Bella Wong defended last spring's decision to cut a kindergarten section at the Florida Ruffin Ridley School, citing enrollment of 20 to 21 students per section with an aide in every room; Weintraub called it "not educational malpractice." The committee also learned that shading a dangerously hot rooftop play structure at the Driscoll School, built for the preschool program, will cost between $240,000 and $330,000, a fix Wong said the district "can't afford" without further budget review.

The capital plan passed 8-0 after a member's remote connection dropped; the EMT revolving fund and two community appointments to the Lincoln School Grounds Renovation Project Design Review Committee passed. The district accepted a $460,000 state food security grant, including $111,000 for a new dishwasher system.

In the full story:

• Who Was There
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Source: the School Committee meeting of September 16, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.

Checked against the record: before publication this article was automatically compared with the meeting transcript. It was corrected where it differed.