Newton Committee Approves Five Department Budgets, $825,000 in School Funds

NEWTON — May 6, 2026 — Newton's Programs and Services Committee approved five city department budgets and two emergency school appropriations totaling $825,000 at its May 6 meeting. Assistant Superintendent Liam Hurley secured a 7-0 vote for a $325,000 free-cash appropriation to purchase the OpenSciEd science curriculum for grades 3 through 5, expected to serve the district for five to eight years, and a 6-0 vote for $500,000 to cover half-year salaries for 18 reinstated full-day kindergarten aides after the district lost a teachers-union arbitration it had relied on to cut roughly $800,000 in staffing costs in fiscal year 2024. City Clerk Drew Wilson told the committee his office has three open positions he expects filled by early July and that a new Civic Plus docket tracking system will be live by September. City Solicitor Angela Minotti reported filling a long-vacant senior labor attorney role and said the Law Department's books-and-research budget is rising from $40,000 to $70,000 to add AI-assisted Westlaw capabilities and an e-discovery tool. The Cooper Center for Active Living's Older Adult Services budget of $2,083,070 passed 5-0-1, with Councilor Lyle Baker abstaining because his wife volunteers at the center.