Super News

Dear Panther Families-

As hoped, WHRHS Graduation was a wonderful event, full of joy, excitement, friends, family, and just enough pomp and circumstance to make it a lasting memory for all. Kudos to the large number of people who organized, set up, and ran the ceremony. They made it so easy to be a participant and so comfortable to be an audience member. Congratulations Class of 2026!

As we approach the last few weeks of school, there continue to be multiple events at each building. While we keep learning at the forefront of our daily efforts, the excitement around field days, field trips, assemblies, and EOY celebrations is hard to ignore. These experiences can sometimes be seen as outside of our mission, but, for most of us looking back, it is often one of these moments that live in our hearts as key memories of "school."

In visiting some of these important events, I am reminded of the dozens of adults both in our schools and part of the Panther community, who have taken extra time to enrich the experiences of our students, from Preschool through Graduation. Please know how grateful we all are for your time, your hard work, and your commitment to making lasting memories at the Preschool, Conley, Duval, Indian Head, HMS, WMS, and WHRHS! Thank you all so much!

Have a great week everyone!

Dr. Marcus

Over the last few months, we have had some important conversations about the timing of each of our buildings. I've heard about (and dealt with as Duval principal) some of the difficulties that our wide range of start and end times creates. While there are a number of factors that go into our schedules, some of which are very hard to adjust, it is worth looking at again to ensure we are on the right track moving forward. To that end, I am forming a team to look at research, survey the community, and examine current practices with the mission of presenting our analysis to School Committee sometime next year. If you are interested in joining this team, please click HERE. Membership is also open to HS and MS students, so please pass the link on to them if they might be interested.

Many thanks to SC member Stephanie Blackman for pursuing a project that, as it grows, should provide tremendous benefits to the community and the district. WHRSD is restarting our Panther Evening Enrichment Program (PEEP), formerly known as Main Street Extension, in Fall 2026. We are looking for instructors in all areas of learning that could enrich adult lives! Sample offerings may include sewing, cooking, dance, world languages, fitness, finance, history, science, art, technology, literature, film, photography, music history, and more. The opportunities to gather together and learn are endless! We are looking for paid instructors and, if you might be able to lead a 4-6 week course, please fill out this form or email Dr. Marcus with any questions or ideas. WHRSD will add a small fee to each offering in order to offset costs of maintenance and program direction.

We have hit some larger bumps in the road over the last couple of weeks as end of year invoices come in. Unfortunately, a handful of lines were not planned out accurately back in early Fall, so the Business Team is trying to shift things around and continue to freeze spending to balance those areas. While we are pleased that our E&D (like an emergency stabilization account) was finally certified by the state at about $700K thanks to the hard work of our new team, we were hoping not to have to use that to end the year. We continue to do our best to right the ship as quickly as we can using conservative and creative methods to do so.

Looking forward, we also hoped not to carry any problems from the past into FY27. That is still our mission, along with maintaining all current staffing and programs. Mr. Wells and I are working together every day to tighten and correct business practices, and we will continue to keep the School Committee and community informed of our status. This summer will be an important time to gauge our current and future financial position.

As we move into '26-'27, please note that along with 56 positions we lost this year, district leadership will be reduced. Please bear with us as we transition responsibilities from one of the Assistant Superintendents, the district Registrar/Transportation Specialist, Technology lead, and most Curriculum Coordinators.

This is the time of year where a lot of enrichment events pop up, some requiring parent/student funding to participate. Dances, field trips, and other social events are part of the mix. A concerned parent wrote me the other day about ensuring that ALL students have access to various special events and what we can do as staff to promote maximum availability. First, I really appreciate that feedback and will be working on that concept with district leaders. Second, if folks ever have an issue with funding trips or other events, please reach out to your building principal and they will do everything they can to help.

Graduation 2026

June 3- School Committee Meeting. 6:30pm

June 17- School Committee Meeting. 6:30pm

June 18th- Grading Day, HALF DAY

June 19- Juneteenth Holiday, No School

June 24- Last Day of School. Half Day

Registration packets are available in many languages. Please contact your Principal.

The Town of Whitman and Old Colony Planning Council are developing a new Housing Production Plan (HPP) to help guide future housing decisions in the community. As part of this process, we are seeking input from Whitman residents on local housing needs, affordability, neighborhood character, and future housing priorities. Your feedback will help shape the recommendations and strategies included in the plan. We encourage all Whitman families to take a few minutes to complete the survey.

https://oldcolonyplanning.org/whitmanhpp/