Milton School Committee Approves Student Trip to Spain and France for 2027

MILTON — March 25, 2026 — Milton School Committee unanimously approves 2027 student trip to Spain and France. The committee voted March 25 to greenlight a 10-day trip for up to 44 juniors and seniors — April 14 through 23, 2027 — to Madrid, Bordeaux, and Paris, at no cost to the town, with families covering the full expense through a monthly payment plan. World Language Director Zeiner Hamada and French teacher Claire Younger, who led a sold-out version of the trip in April 2026, said early approval gives families a longer financial runway. The committee also received a report from Pierce Principal William Fish on a 17-educator cross-school team developing eighth-to-ninth-grade transition supports, including reinstating "step-up days" at Milton High School and launching a novel study in eighth-grade English modeled on ninth-grade reading expectations of 15 to 30 minutes of nightly independent reading. Director of Inclusion and Belonging Dr. F.A. Shavers reported that a $73,000 DESE Transforming Diverse Educator Pathways grant is funding partnerships with the Teachers Lounge and Boston Plan for Excellence to diversify the hiring pipeline, with a stated goal of raising BIPOC staff from 10 percent to 12 percent of district employees by 2026-27. The Warrant Committee has unanimously approved a school budget article and a separate article directing $500,000 in free cash to the special education stabilization fund, both headed to the May town meeting alongside a $6,596,100 capital request.