By Adam Swift
Superintendent of Schools Lisa Howard is reminding students and parents that toy weapons are not allowed on school property.
“The Winthrop public schools view all weapons, real or imitation, intended for play or other uses, as a prohibited item on school property,” said Howard. “Student and staff safety is the district’s top priority, and bringing such items to school may result in serious consequences, regardless of whether the object is a functional object or not. We also wish to remind families that students should not be trading, selling, or buying items from others in school.”
Howard said that there have been some incidents in school, but none of them have been major.
“That’s what we are trying to avoid, especially with some of our little ones who are still playing with toys at home … and every once in a while, just remind your students and check those backpacks that there are certain things you can bring to school and certain things that you can’t,” said Howard. “We have to react to everything that we see and then investigate every time something like that takes place.”
In other business, Howard said that the budget season for the 2026-27 school year is getting underway.
Howard provided the school committee with a draft schedule for the budget process, and said she was meeting with building principals this week to start the process.
“We’ll start with reviewing this year’s budget, which we do weekly anyway,” said Howard. “We will get up to speed on where we think we are going with some of our higher cost items, including curriculum, and we will start to set the stage for the prediction of the budget next year.”
The superintendent said planning next year’s budget is critical, especially with the ongoing negotiations with the teachers’ union.
“That all factors into the allotment of a budget from the town,” said Howard.
Howard also had good news for the school committee regarding MCAS.
The Winthrop Middle School recently received notification from the state that it is invited to join the Department of Education as part of a celebration for the school’s MCAS scores reaching its pre-pandemic levels.
“It’s a testament to the hard work of everyone in that building, and all of our buildings,” said Howard.
There will be a more in-depth presentation on the district’s latest round of MCAS testing at a future school committee meeting, Howard said.