Ayer-Shirley School Committee Approves 2026-27 Meeting Calendar With Two Date Adjustments

AYER — April 7, 2026 — Ayer-Shirley School Committee approves 2026-27 meeting calendar and hears three student showcases. The committee voted unanimously at its April 7 meeting to adopt the coming year's schedule, adjusting two February dates after a member noted that February 10 falls on Ash Wednesday — shifting that meeting to February 9 and moving an earlier February date from the 2nd to the 3rd. The board also unanimously accepted a $3,000 donation from Mary Ann Zimon to Laurel A. White Elementary School for Grade 4 Nature's Classroom field trip supplies as part of the consent agenda. Superintendent Adam Renda delivered a brief mid-year goals update, reporting that the district-wide student intervention tracking process is largely functional across all four schools, while a tiered mental health support initiative has been slowed by staff concerns that a time study and needs assessment were linked to budget cuts — concerns Renda said are unfounded and that he plans to address by co-facilitating remaining sessions with school counselor Cynthia Salonis. The evening's most extended discussion surrounded a practice presentation by Andromeda One, the district's FIRST Robotics team 4905, which won the Impact Award at its regional competition and cited a 6,200 percent increase in STEM activities available to Ayer-Shirley students since the team's founding. The committee entered executive session at 7:27 p.m. to discuss the FY26 budget.