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.