School Committee OKs two new BHS courses

School Committee · Meeting of February 5, 2026

Brookline's School Committee heard a $8.1 million fiscal 2027 budget request amid packed public opposition to proposed staffing cuts. Superintendent Bella Wong said the increase includes $1.943 million to close a structural deficit and a net 19.7-position districtwide staff reduction. Teachers and students, including Hayes School's Matt Durant and Driscoll's Heather Pritchard, warned cuts to educational technology specialists and guidance counselors would be "devastating," with Pritchard saying Driscoll is "already not meeting state mandated requirements for structured learning time." The committee voted 9-0 to approve two new computer science courses and a revised stipend schedule, and 8-0 to permit beer and wine at an April student event.

A motion to require an honors WISP course was ruled out of order for lacking proper notice; the renamed "materials fee" proposal was withdrawn.

In the full story:

• The Full Story
• Why It Matters
• Key Motions & Votes
• Source
• Brookline's community access TV: School Committee meeting, February 5, 2026
• The complete report: 905 words

Source: the School Committee meeting of February 5, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.

Checked against the record: before publication this article was automatically compared with the meeting transcript.