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Welcome back!
About $11 million in debt exclusions passed at Tuesday’s special election and Sudbury is talking about the future of Camp Sewataro again.
It’s like we time traveled back to 2019, except this version of 2019 has Sudbury’s decision makers contemplating if they even want to touch this issue with a ten-foot pole. But can the Select Board resist the temptation to touch Sudbury’s third rail?
We’ll find out more in early January.
Here’s what we have for you this week:
SPS Advances Towards A 2026-2027 Calendar Decision, While A 2022 Decision Resurfaces
SPS Names Curtis Auditorium In Honor of Dr. William Smith
Lincoln-Sudbury Budget Shortfall Grows to $300K
Planning Board Poised To Make Progress On Cell Service
School Roofs Pass At Special Election
Sheehan Recommends Forming Committee To Study Sewataro Uses
Lincoln-Sudbury Reports $800K Shortfall In Current Fiscal Year
SPS Chips Away At Deficit — SMILE Program On Chopping Block
Merry and Mindful: Ways to Keep Stress in Check This Season
250 Years Ago, On December 15th, 1775
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SPS Advances Towards A 2026-2027 Calendar Decision, While A 2022 Decision Resurfaces
NEWS
By Kevin LaHaise
The Sudbury Public Schools School Committee moved one step closer to voting a calendar for the 2026-2027 school year on Thursday, December 18. A unanimous vote of the committee advanced a draft calendar that will come back before the committee for a final vote at a later meeting. (Page 43 here.)
The committee had previously voted to have the administration produce a calendar that preserved the existing holidays on the current calendar on the basis of teacher and student absences, and the district’s ability to safely open the schools. That approach has been the preferred approach across many school districts in recent years, which are typically trying to stay on the legal side of the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment to the United States Constitution while meeting student needs with an accommodation policy. (Details on recent legal developments here. Additional DESE info here.)
The format of the calendar was a focus of conversation on Thursday. A public comment from a member of the community criticized the committee for not listing Jewish holidays other than to say “No School.”
SPS Names Curtis Auditorium In Honor of Dr. William Smith
NEWS
By Kevin LaHaise
The Ephraim Curtis Middle School auditorium has formally been named the Dr. William Smith Auditorium after a vote of the Sudbury Public Schools School Committee on December 18.
The committee voted in favor of a recommendation from Superintendent Brad Crozier to name the auditorium after Dr. William “Smitty” Smith, who served as principal of Curtis Middle School earlier in his career.
A memo from Crozier stated “Dr. Smith served as Principal of Curtis Middle School from 1978 to 1983 and was the first and only Black principal in Sudbury Public Schools. His leadership, educational vision, and deep commitment to students and staff left a lasting impact on the school community.”
Crozier cited Smith’s contributions not just as a principal, but as a longstanding member of the Sudbury community and for his service to his country. “Beyond Curtis, Dr. Smith devoted more than 50 years to the Sudbury community. He was a founder of Race Amity Day in Sudbury, a member of the Human Rights Council, a youth sports coach, a town board member, and a nationally recognized educator, military veteran, and civil rights leader.” More information about Dr. Smith’s life and accomplishments can be found on the Race Amity website here.
Smith’s children were present to provide comment, including a reading of a poem written by one of Smith’s students at Curtis Middle School when he was moving on to the next chapter in his illustrious career.
Lincoln-Sudbury Budget Shortfall Grows to $300K
NEWS
By Kevin LaHaise
The latest budget discussion of the Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School School committee outlined a Fiscal Year 2027 (FY27) budget shortfall of $298,655. That’s nearly double the estimated shortfall presented earlier in December, but district leadership informed the board at that time that they expected that number to change in the coming weeks.
Planning Board Poised To Make Progress On Cell Service
NEWS
By Kevin LaHaise
The December 17 meeting of the Sudbury Planning Board featured a discussion about their ongoing efforts to establish a wireless services overlay district. Doing so would adjust the way the Town regulates installation of wireless infrastructure, potentially creating opportunity for private investments that could improve Sudbury’s woeful cell coverage.
While the bylaw changes would open the door a bit more for wireless infrastructure, the board discussed ways to maintain control. For example — cell antennas would not be allowed in historic districts if they were external to a building or visible from outside.
School Roofs Pass At Special Election
NEWS
By Kevin LaHaise
Sudbury voters approved two ballot questions for school roofs on Tuesday, December 16.
The Special Town Election was called for two debt exclusions that will fund replacement and repair of roofs at the Josiah Haynes and General John Nixon elementary schools. A Special Town Meeting voting earlier in the month also approved the projects.
Turnout was decidedly low — with just 891 voters casting ballots — but the results were overwhelmingly in favor of the projects.
Sheehan Recommends Forming Committee To Study Sewataro Uses
NEWS
By Kevin LaHaise
On Tuesday, December 16, Sudbury Town Manager Andy Sheehan presented his recommendation to the Sudbury Select Board for planning the future uses of the Liberty Ledge/Camp Sewataro property. His recommendation was a Town Meeting article to form a 9-member committee, to be appointed by the Town Moderator, to study options and make a recommendation prior to the expiration of the current contract extension with the camp operator.
Lincoln-Sudbury Reports $800K Shortfall In Current Fiscal Year
NEWS
By Kevin LaHaise
Citing unanticipated costs in out of district transportation and tuition, the Lincoln-Sudbury Regional School District (LSRHS) administration told the Sudbury Finance Committee on Monday, December 16 that they have a roughly $800,000 shortfall in their current Fiscal Year 2026 (FY26) budget.
SPS Chips Away At Deficit — SMILE Program On Chopping Block
NEWS
By Kevin LaHaise
The Sudbury Public Schools School Committee held its annual budget hearing on Monday, December 15. Superintendent Brad Crozier presented and provided some recommended cuts to close the gap between the district’s Fiscal Year 2027 forecast and available funds from their budget guidance.
The original forecast projected a $1.6 million deficit in the next fiscal year, even after the Town provided a robust 3.75% budget increase year-over-year. With the cuts and other adjustments recommended by Superintendent Crozier, the district would be able to cut the deficit to roughly $800K, though further work is expected in the coming weeks.
The most noteworthy cut, at least in terms of discussion with the committee, was the complete elimination of the district’s Summer Math Intervention and Literacy Engagement (SMILE) and Explore programs. After eliminating those programs, the district would review the Extended School Year (ESY) program to make sure it’s meeting the needs of students in the absence of SMILE. While the committee indicated that they felt it was a necessary cut given the circumstances, Vice Chair Jessica McCready lamented it, saying it was “horrible” to be in the position to have to cut the program.
Merry and Mindful: Ways to Keep Stress in Check This Season
FEATURES
By Dr. Randall McShine
[This column is part of a regular series of health information and wellness tips from Emerson Health Sudbury.]
Every year the winter holiday season can be joyful, while also bringing busy schedules, high expectations, and some stress. Many people feel overwhelmed, tired, or irritable this time of year. The good news: A few adjustments can help you stay grounded, protect your well-being, and make space for what truly matters.
Notice the Signs of Stress
Common signs of stress include feeling tense or on edge, difficulty sleeping, changes in appetite, headaches, or becoming easily frustrated. If these symptoms last more than a couple of weeks or begin to affect your daily life, it may be time to check in with a healthcare provider.
250 Years Ago, On December 15th, 1775
FEATURES
By Jan Hardenbergh
Two hundred fifty years ago, on December 15, 1775, a payroll for Capt. Jabez Puffer was signed. Shown here is a trimmed image of that payroll from the volume labeled “Sudbury Miscellaneous Records, 17th–19th Century,” preserved in the vault of the Town Clerk.
It reads: “The Colony of the Massachusetts Bay to Capt. Jabez Puffer for guarding the Colony Stores at Concord by order of Col. James Barrett.”
Parting Thoughts
Predictions about the year ahead are popular this time of year, so Sudbury Weekly is going to join in on the fun this week. Here are the Sudbury Weekly Predictions for 2026, focusing exclusively on Sudbury.
1) The Sudbury Housing Authority will build 7 modern micro-apartments on top of the Sherman’s Bridge pedestrian sidewalk.
2) Speaking of sidewalks — Sudbury will add sidewalks on both sides of the two new rail trails to make way for that guy who doesn’t even pump the breaks on his way through the intersection at Peakham and Hudson Road.
3) The tri-district school committee meetings will happen again, this time to align curriculums across the three districts. Shortly thereafter, Lincoln Public Schools will shift to a 100% Spanish immersion model for all classes and grades. L-S will declare that it is a curriculum-free high school committed to self-guided student exploration. And SPS will commit to updating its ELA curriculum for “middle school students who could probably read gooder” by 2073.
4) An elected Sudbury board or committee will discover that Zoom’s AI features can take the minutes for their meetings.
5) At least one Sudbury resident will check the Eversource outage map before asking on Facebook if other residents lost power.
6) All of the play structures at the SMILE playground will disappear overnight sometime in the spring, only to be replaced by a box full of 1980’s action figures, a step ladder, and a pile of sticks.
7) The abandoned gas station at the corner of Nobscot and Route 20 will be purchased by the Town of Sudbury and immediately leased to a bank.
8) A Dollar General will open in the same plaza as Dollar Tree. Residents will openly wonder why the landlord couldn’t just get another bank to open up there.
9) Chris Evans will agree to attend Annual Town Meeting in a full-on Captain America suit to help drive resident turnout. Turnout will remain flat, and residents will complain on Facebook that the Town robbed them of a chance to meet Chris Evans because Town Meeting was on a Monday evening.
10) A Sweetgreen will open in the Meadow Walk plaza.
Onward!