School Committee Asks Select Board to Weigh Later Town Meeting Date

WESTFORD — February 2, 2026 — Westford School Committee member presses for later town meeting to allow more budget engagement. Speaking at the February 2 meeting, member Catherine told the Select Board that the committee's January 5 budget hearing — covering a $71 million school budget — drew no public comment, a pattern she attributed to the compressed holiday-season timeline. She said meaningful feedback typically arrives only days before the committee's final vote, citing this year's last-minute questions about a math subscription service as a concrete example of the problem. Catherine said she had identified bylaw models used in other towns that give select boards flexibility to set town meeting dates without a fixed formula, and she noted that Finance Director Jenny Lynn has said access to the governor's budget guidance earlier in the process would help. No formal vote was taken; the discussion was exploratory.