In the previous installments of this budget series (I, II, III) we discussed the how and the why of the school's budget deficit that caught public attention this year but has in actuality been persisting for multiple years. Now, we look to the future: can this situation continue, and if not, what needs...

In the first installment of this budget series, we looked at the immediate effects of the budget cuts and its lack of sustainability for the future. Now we look at how this budget deficit came about, the history of budget balancing in Westford, and where exactly the root of the problem is. Westford...

This four-part series details the causes and effects of the budget deficit facing Westford Public Schools this year, exploring its origins in terms of town revenue, state funding, and other major factors. This first installment summarizes the deficit and its immediate implications.  Westford Public...

On Saturday, Mar. 23, Westford will be holding its annual Spring Town Meeting from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., where it will be finalizing the budget for the upcoming fiscal year, FY20. The school system is taking a substantial hit, with $1.2 million of budget cuts that puts several school programs on the chopping...

Superintendent of Schools Everett Olsen proposed budget cuts to the School Committee in January in order to meet a $1.2 million deficit between his requested 3.3% increase and Town Manager Jodi Ross' allocated 1.6% (not counting the money for teacher salary overrides). Due to decreasing enrollment at...

On Monday, September 24th, Westford Academy Principal James Antonelli made a surprise proposal at the Westford School Committee meeting to rename Stony Brook Middle School the 'Everett V. Olsen Middle School' after Westford Public School's Superintendent Everett "Bill" V. Olsen. Antonelli, aside from...

A distance learning plan to make up for 3 of the 9 lost days due to weather proposed by Superintendent Bill Olsen and Assistant Superintendent Dr. Kerry Clery was passed by the School Committee on Monday, March 26th, with a vote of 5 yes, 1 no, and 1 absent. Committee member, Arthur Benoit was absent,...

In a sunlit room filled with miniature chairs, half-finished cardboard projects, and colorful reading posters, Linda Garvey surveys a stack of stars messily cut from paper on a nearby desk. The rainbow rug and overwhelming enthusiasm were once the first school experience of some class of 2016 graduates. For these...

On Monday, April 4th, Westford was blanketed with a thin sheet on snow once again. This storm was rather unexpected for Westford residents, as temperatures hit nearly 80 degrees the previous week. Although the snow amounts were not all that high compared to previous New England storms, the timing...