LS School Committee adopts calendar adding both Eids, Diwali and Lunar New Year

SUDBURY -- December 16, 2025, LS School Committee votes 5-1 to add both Eids, Diwali and Lunar New Year to the 2026-27 calendar. Member Maura Carty cast the lone vote against the option known as Add 3 Variation 1, preferring a version with only one Eid; members John J. Ryan, Jr., Charles I. Morton, IV and Lucy Maltby said they were unwilling to rank two religious observances. The committee also unanimously authorized $12,274.63 from capital stabilization for a roof assessment by Simpson Gumpertz & Heger, described by Ryan as "one of the most respected building consulting engineering firms in Massachusetts", and amended FY27 capital requests from $180,000 to $170,000 after favorable bids of $108,745.80 for a dump truck and $58,294 for an athletics van. Odyssey Advisors actuary Curtis Thompson reported the district's OPEB funded ratio rose to 17.4 percent, above the state's 95th percentile. Interim Director of Finance and Operations Susan Caron-Hill said the FY27 budget variance has grown to $298,000.