Ashburnham-Westminster School Committee Certifies $33.28 Million FY22 Budget

ASHBURNHAM — March 9, 2021 — Ashburnham-Westminster Regional School Committee approved a $33,281,425 fiscal year 2022 budget, a $50,874 decrease from the current year, clearing the way for town assessments to be sent to Ashburnham and Westminster. Superintendent Dr. Todd Stewart told the committee that roughly 220 staff members had registered for educator-specific vaccine clinics at Haywood Hospital in Gardner on March 13 and 20, and announced that the district would launch opt-in pooled COVID testing through vendor Concentric on March 22, funded through state dollars expected to run through approximately May 1, with ESSER federal relief funds allocated to cover remaining weeks. Stewart said the district's goal remained returning all students to full in-person instruction as soon as safely possible, with formal planning presentations scheduled for a community town hall the following Monday and for the committee's March 23 meeting. The committee also unanimously approved an updated Keystone Educational Collaborative Agreement adding Narragansett Regional School District as a member, completed the second reading of Bullying Prevention Policy JICFB, and voted 10-0 to enter executive session.