Full-Day Kindergarten, Work On New School, Move To TVL Highlight Changes In Dedham Schools

DEDHAM, MA — New staff, all-day kindergarten for free, and work on the new Currant Center/ECEC school are just some of the new things in the Dedham schools.

Superintendent Michael Welch touched on the updates in his letter to kick off the start of school. On the staff front, 17 new teachers have joined the Dedham Public School, along with seven new members of the District Leadership Team.

For the first time, the town will offer tuition-free full-day kindergarten for all students. The proposal was approved as part of a three-year plan to decrease the cost over time and phase in the cost to the operating budget. The original cost for parents during the 2014-15 school year was $3,500.

At the site of the former Dexter Elementary School, work continues on the construction of the Curren Center/ECEC building that will be home to preschool and kindergarten. The $29.8 million project comes with an $11 million reimbursement from the Massachusetts School Building Authority. The old school was demolished during the spring and the new building is scheduled to open in January 2019.

In sports, Dedham High School completed the move from the Bay State Conference to the Tri-Valley League. School officials made the move as part of an effort to compete against schools of similar sizes. When they left, Dedham was the smallest school in the Bay State Conference. The Tri-Valley League includes Norton, Holliston, Hopkinton, Ashland, Millis, Medford, Dover-Sherborn, Westwood, Bellingham, and Medway.

Click here to read the full letter.

Image: File Photo