School Committee OKs Protect Act school policy
School Committee · Meeting of September 15, 2026
Westwood School Committee hears MSBA site-visit update, weighs new tax-mitigation fund for Thurston rebuild. Superintendent Timothy Pivovar told members the Massachusetts School Building Authority sent eight staff for a September 1 site visit to Thurston Middle School, a required step before the agency's December eligibility decision. Town Administrator Connor Reed and Select Board Chair Marianne LeBlanc-Cummings pitched a "capital and tax mitigation stabilization fund," which would collect roughly $1.1 million this fall from non-tax sources and warned Westwood's debt could approach its 12 percent policy ceiling once Thurston borrowing begins.
"We are going to have the biggest debt exclusion by far in Westwood history, regardless," one member said. The committee unanimously adopted a Protect Act policy barring civil immigration enforcement from school grounds without a warrant, reappointed Pivovar to The Education Cooperative's board, and reviewed a $1.685 million fiscal 2028 capital request, up from $1.28 million this year. A Sheehan parent urged the committee against ever moving fifth graders into a rebuilt middle school.
In the full story:
- Who Was There
- Organizations And Documents Referenced
- The complete report — 3,564 words
Source: the School Committee meeting of September 15, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.
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