WILMINGTON, MA — The Wilmington School Committee met on Wednesday, June 10, 2026 at 6:30pm in the Large Group Instruction Room at Wilmington High School. All members were present except Vice Chair Dr. Jennifer Bryson, who was listening to the meeting while traveling.
Prior to the Meeting, the School Committee met in the WHS courtyard for a recognition ceremony to honor the six WPS staff members who are retiring at the end of the school year. They include:
— Maura Killbride: Special Education Coordinator, Student Support Services
— Patricia Welch: Educational Assistant, Boutwell
— Elisabeth Ahern: Educational Assistant, Boutwell
— Anne DePanfilis: Grade 5 Teacher, North Intermediate
— Rosanne Clark: 1:1 Educational Assistant, High School
— Judy Nazzaro: Educational Assistant, High School
After roll call and the Pledge of Allegiance, the School Committee received its monthly update from Middle School student representatives Ashley Spirito and Mia White, both of whom quickly highlighted happenings at WMS over the next past few weeks.
The School Committee then heard a lengthier update on the district’s Performing Arts successes from Performing Arts Department Liaison Mike Ferrara and Theater Advisor/Choral Director/Music & Drama Teacher Samantha Prindiville.
Ferrara had two students provide updates surrounding Band, Strings and Chorus at the High School level. Of note, the Marching Band will be performing Demi Lovato, Pitbull, and Britney Spears songs for next year’s halftime show. The band will be visiting Disney World in November 2026 and participating in a parade at Epcot. This summer’s Band Camp will mark the 50th year at its current location, and 75 years overall. WHS performing arts students will have the opportunity to travel to Italy in 2028 for a music-themed international field trip. All WHS performing arts groups had a heavy presence at community events over the past year.
Prindiville, who arrived to the meeting a bit later, noted the WPS theater program sold nearly 3,400 tickets cumulatively across three productions during the 2025-2026 school year. Frankenstein (WHS Fall Play held in the Large Group Instruction Room), Shrek The Musical Jr. (WMS Winter Musical), and Mean Girls: High School Version (WHS Spring Musical) were all successful. The 2026-2027 slate of plays was recently announced: Shakespeare (WHS Fall Play, Oct. 22-24); Frozen Jr. (WMS Winter Musical, Jan. 14-16); and Urinetown (WHS Spring Musical, Apr. 8-10). Prindville thanked her entire production team, and noted she is stepping down as the High School Drama Advisor, with teacher Taejasvi Andrade ready to take the reins.
“The performing arts opportunities in Wilmington are one of the best things about our district,” noted School Committee member David Ragsdale.
The School Committee then approved the items on its consent agenda, including minutes for the May 27 meeting, various warrants, and the 2026-2027 revised High School and Middle School handbooks. There was no discussion on any of these items as the handbooks were previously discussed at the May 27 meeting during their “first readings.”
Interim Superintendent Dr. David Thomson took a moment to celebrate the WHS Class of 2026. He noted 87% of the graduated seniors are heading off to higher education, including 66 different colleges and universities across the country. 11 seniors are participating in college athletics. 10 seniors have indicated their desire to join the teaching profession. 5 seniors are entering the trades, while 3 students are enlisting in the armed forces.
“We wish them the best of luck,” said Thomson. “We’re proud of their accomplishments.”
While not on the agenda, Superintendent Thomson briefly updated the Committee on its recent decision to utilize the Doorman App at the High School and Middle School during the 2026-2027 school year to satisfy a “bell-to-bell” cell phone ban, which many believe is forthcoming from the state legislature. He noted the app company’s Data Privacy Agreement is being reviewed by the school district’s attorney. The attorney suggested amendments to contracts, which Doorman is now considering. Doorman provided additional information around its financial solvency, and expressed a willingness to talk to members of the Committee about its finances. Thomson noted DESE has not yet started to work on policies or procedures for schools adopting “bell-to-bell” cell phone bans. Thomson hoped to have an official memo with further details for the Committee by the end of next week.
There were no written public comments submitted prior to the meeting.
There were no in-person public comments during the meeting. There appeared to be no members of the public in the audience.
Under “New Business,” the School Committee tabled discussion regarding analysis and recommendations surrounding Curriculum and Special Education Leadership and Instructional Support.
The School Committee then conducted “first readings” of several policies with proposed revisions. Two of the policies were passed over due to technical issues. The remaining six had “mostly minor changes” to align with the model policies created by the Massachusetts Association of School Committees. The policies were:
— JLCD – Administration of Medication to Students (changes specifically required due to new regulations from Massachusetts Public Health Department’s new regulations around medication storage)
— JFABC – Admission of Transfer Students
— JFABD – Homeless Students: Enrollment Rights and Services
— JFABE – Educational Opportunities for Military Children
— JFABF – Educational Opportunities for Children in Foster Care
— JFBB – School Choice (currently not applicable to Wilmington Public Schools, which does not participate in School Choice, but the policy needs to be in place in case the Committee ever changes its mind)
The School Committee then discussed its subcommittee assignments for the 2026-2027 school year. After a great deal of discussion, members settled on the following:
— Superintendent Evaluation: Bryson, Fennelly, Lord
— Policy & School Committee Handbook: Bryson, Mercaldi, Ragsdale (unchanged)
— Budget, Facilities & WEF: Ragsdale, Mercaldi, Turner
— MSBA School Building Committee: Golden, Ragsdale, Turner (unchanged)
— Wellness (Equity, Sickbank, SEPAC): Bryson, Golden, Turner
— Outreach: Mercaldi, Lord, Golden
Fennelly, as Chair, will serve as the Committee’s liaison to federal and state legislators.
The Committee is disbanding the following subcommittee assignments: Town Hall/School Administration Building Committee representative and the five Contract Negotiation Teams as contacts with the Teachers Association, Educational Assistants, Administrative Assistants, Nurses, and Cafeteria Workers are all settled, with no new negotiations expected next school year.
Per the suggestion of Committee member Michael Mercaldi, the Committee may begin assigning its members to serve as liaisons to groups within the WPS community. A liaison would “serve as the primary point on contact for the group, facilitate requests, and gain an understanding of their efforts and initiatives.” Under Mercaldi’s plan, the School Committee will have liaisons to each of the district’s six PACs (parent advisory councils) and eight SACs (school advisory councils), in addition to the SEPAC (special education parent advisory council), the PAWS Group, and the Wilmington Educational Foundation. Mercaldi’s proposal, which was met with a positive reaction, will be further discussed at the Committee’s next meeting.
Under “Subcommittee Reports,” Committee member Stephen Turner — who serves on the MSBA School Building Committee — announced that the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (Mass DEP) is allowing the Wildwood Elementary School Building project to proceed as planned. The state evaluated environmental concerns raised by a group of citizens over the presence of arsenic on the site. State environmental officials, according to Turner and David Ragsdale, saw “no concerns,” finding the arsenic levels to be “normal in the area” and “naturally occurring.” “It will be still be remediated, but is not considered contamination,” added Ragsdale. The construction program is slated to begin on or around June 23, 2026. The North’s Principal is offering virtual meetings with parents on Monday to discuss construction impacts on the existing school. The next School Building Committee Meeting will be held on Tuesday, June 16, 2025 at 6:30pm at Town Hall.
Under Correspondence, Committee Chair Jesse Fennelly noted he spoke with Town Manager Eric Slagle regarding the future of the Roman House at WHS Graduation. Two Requests For Proposals (RFPs) are about to be released — one would remove the Roman House and one would relocate the Roman House to a town-owned parcel near Silver Lake.
Fennelly read a list of upcoming notable events. The last day of school is Monday, June 22, 2026, a half day. The next School Committee Meeting is on Wednesday, June 24, at 6:30pm at Town Hall.
The Meeting was adjourned at 8:07pm.
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