By NEIL ZOLOT
WAKEFIELD — In September 2026 the school day at Wakefield Memorial High will start 45 minutes later, as approved by the School Committee at their meeting Tuesday, April 8.
The day will start at 8:15 a.m. instead of 7:45 and end at 2:55 p.m. instead of 2:15, which brings the high school into line with the start and end times at most other high schools in the Middlesex League. Hours at the Galvin Middle School and the elementary schools will not change.
“I feel it’s in our students’ best interests,” member Melissa Quinn said, in reference to numerous opinions and studies indicating students will be more alert with the later starting time and absenteeism and tardiness will drop.
“It’s supported by research,” member Tom Markham agreed.
The change will precede the opening of the new High School in January 2027. At the March 25 meeting Superintendent Doug Lyons said it was better to do it then than in the middle of a school year.
School Committee members favored the “45 minute adjustment” idea over the “60 minute adjustment,” both of which were presented as alternatives by Lyons on March 25. A third option was to not make any changes.
Markham said he favored the 60 minute option, which would have changed the high school hours to 8:30-3:10, the elementary school hours slightly from 8:40-2:50 to 8:45-2:55 and leaving the hours at the Galvin as they are, but voted for the 45 minute option when the opinion of the Committee became clear. “It might be easier to start 60 minutes later and work backwards if an adjustment is needed, but I’ll support the consensus of the Committee,” he said.
Member Kevin Piskadlo said the 45 minute change would be ‘less disruptive’ than the 60 minute option, but, as he did March 25, Piskadlo expressed concern over the effects of dismissal times for the high school and the adjacent Woodville Elementary School being only five minutes apart, particularly with regard to traffic.
Citing senior privilege and after-school activities, School Committee Chairman Stephen Ingalls answered, “Not everyone leaves school at the same time.”
Part of the reason for tabling the matter on March 25 was to allow people in town to express their opinions to School Committee members, but they reported they received little if any feedback.
At Lyons’ suggestion the vote included a clause for him and the school board’s labor subcommittee to work with employee unions on how the change would affect their work day, which dovetailed with many public comments from paraprofessionals and parents about their contract negotiations earlier in the meeting.
“We are not just helpers,” Dolbeare Individual Service Plan paraprofessional Kimberly Smith said. “We are an integral part of the classroom experience and instrumental in the delivery of all student proves. We assist teachers in classroom management and deliver lessons. Beyond that, we have an impact on the social and emotional development of students and the relationships we build with students is critical in fostering a learning environment.”
Speaking as “a representative of all paraprofessionals,” Smith added the current salaries of $28,000 to 33,000 are “not a living wage,” below that of most communities and insufficient to meet increases in the cost of living. “If Wakefield is truly interested in education, we ask you to provide a wage that reflects our work,” she said.
Parent Leah Campbell said paraprofessionals make her daughter feel safe and challenged, but also help all children, in part by allowing teachers to teach while they offer extra support to students that need it. “It’s not just about some kids; it’s about the whole learning environment,” she said. “Paraprofessionals are critical for all students.”
Parent Kristine Robinson said paraprofessionals are “the heartbeat of an inclusive classroom” and “serve as trusted adults for all students. It is discouraging if they are not compensated in a manner that reflects their work.”
Parent Amy York added other jobs pay as much or more, but do not require the same skills and level of commitment paraprofessionals have.
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In other matters, Facilities Director Tim O’Brien said “No Idling” signs, already in place at Galvin and Dolbeare, will be installed at other schools with the help of the DPW.