CNS News | January 2019
Happy New Year! As always, 2019 kicks off with a focus on the School Budget for next year. First up is the Public Hearing on the budget on Tuesday, January 15. Community members are invited to share their thoughts on the budget either at the hearing or by email ( schoolcommittee@needham.k12.ma.us) prior to School Committee's vote on January 22.

Also mark your calendars for a CNS coffee on Saturday, February 9, where we will be joined by Aaron Pressman to discuss Full Day Kindergarten. This will be a great opportunity to learn more about FDK, and also to meet CNS Board members and others in the community who are passionate about education and strengthening Needham Schools.

Hilary Bruel & Liz Lee
Co-Chairs, Citizens for Needham Schools
School Committee News
FY2019-20 Budget
The proposed FY20 budget includes a request for an additional $5.3 million — a 7.5% increase over FY19 — which includes funds for Full Day Kindergarten, the opening of the new Sunita L. Williams Elementary School, and resources and programs designed to promote equity and inclusion. Over the past month, SC has heard presentations on the overall budget, Student Support Services, and Technology. A public hearing on the budget will be held Tuesday, January 15, 7pm at Broadmeadow Elementary School. School Committee will vote on the budget recommendation the following Tuesday. Learn more
Full Day Kindergarten
One of the main drivers of the FY20 budget is the implementation of Full Day Kindergarten. The budget includes funding for additional teachers, supplies, and a full-time teacher assistant in each Kindergarten classroom. Upcoming opportunities to learn more about FDK include:

Know Your Schools Night – for parents of incoming Kindergarteners
Wednesday, January 30, 6:30-8:30pm, Broadmeadow Performance Center

CNS Coffee with Aaron Pressman – Full Day Kindergarten
Saturday, February 9, 10-11:30am, Broadmeadow Media Center
Mitchell Modulars
In preparing for the implementation of Full Day Kindergarten, it was determined that Mitchell will need additional classroom space. Due to a competitive and volatile construction market, the construction bid for two new modular classrooms came in over what was appropriated by Town Meeting in May. A Special Town Meeting will take place on Tuesday, January 22 at 7:30pm to vote on an article to appropriate the additional funding and keep the project on track for completion by September 2019. Learn more
Public Hearing on the School Budget – Tuesday, 1/15, 7:00pm 
SC Vote on the Budget – Tuesday, 1/22, 5:00pm
Special Town Meeting – Tuesday, 1/22, 7:30pm
Know Your Schools Night – Wednesday, 1/30, 6:30pm
CNS Coffee on FDK – Saturday, 2/9, 10:00am
CNS News
Resources at Your Fingertips
If you haven't visited the CNS website recently, we recommend you take a look! We've added new content and new features to make information easily accessible for you:

Calendar - You can now find both the school calendar and the dates for this year's school committee meetings.
Helpful Links - The NPS website is vast, to say the least. We've collected some of links we think are most useful all in one place.
SC Meeting Highlights - We have brief summaries of each SC meeting, with links to detailed information and the Needham Channel recording.
Updates and Recaps - We are also have recaps of Town Meeting and updates on on various district initiatives — and the whole website is searchable. So if there's some school-related information you are trying to find, start at the CNS website... we may be able to help you!

Stay Connected
CNS is committed to keeping you informed of all school related news. Follow us on social media to find out the latest news fast:

Facebook - Get updates right in your feed, including agendas for upcoming School Committee meetings
Twitter - We share and retweet school-related info