New Teacher Proposed to Deal with Watertown's Growing Elementary Schools

Enrollment in the Watertown Public Schools is forecast to rise to more than 2,700 students, including nearly 50 more children in the elementary schools, school official said this week.

The numbers fluctuate all the time, warned Superintendent Jean Fitzgerald, but the estimates based on kindergarten registrations would put the elementary schools at 1,397, the middle school at 549 and the high school at 778. As of March 19, the Watertown Public Schools had 2,659 students.

The high school is expected to be a bit lower than the estimated 778 students, Fitzgerald said, which includes a freshman class of 200.

“Some of the freshmen will be going to Minuteman (Regional High School),” Fitzgerald said, referring to the vocational and technical high school in Lexington where some Watertown students enroll.

Fitzgerald has requested an additional elementary school teacher at Hosmer School to deal with the increasing enrollment.

Other staff that School Officials propose adding include: a STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) teacher at the high school and a secondary-level music teacher.

Fitzgerald said the STEM teacher could be paid for in the “level services budget,” which provides the same services to students next year as they get this year. The music teacher would be an addition to the budget, however.

The Budget and Finance Committee meets at 6:30 tonight, Thursday, in the Phillips School. This is the committee's final meeting before they hold the Public Hearing on the Fiscal 2013 budget on Monday, March 26. The meeting begins at 7 p.m. and will be in the Council Chamber in Town Hall.

School Committee Vice Chairman John Portz said the School Committee may not vote on the budget that night, but will hear the presentation from school administrators.