Commonwealth Heroine
Belmont resident Lisa Gibalerio was honored at the Sept. 22 School Committee meeting as a 2026 Commonwealth Heroine. Gibalerio was originally selected earlier this summer, but was unable to attend the annual ceremony at the Massachusetts State House.
Instead, state Rep. Dave Rogers, who nominated her for the award, honored her at the meeting.
“Thank you from the bottom of my heart,” Gibalerio said. “I am so touched. I am so honored, and it’s just a delight to receive this.”
A Look at the Budget
Superintendent Jill Geiser introduced the district’s budget priorities for fiscal year 2028 to the School Committee.
The starting point for the FY28 budget will be this year’s general budget, which is about $73.9 million. According to Geiser, the district will develop a level services budget for FY28, which will include cost increases for contracts and outside services.
Some priorities for the FY28 budget include supporting extracurricular programming, allocating resources to meet special education needs, and ensuring “sustainability and efficiency” within the budget.
Additional Bus
The district is continuing to iron out transportation issues as Belmont wraps up its first month of the new school year, Superintendent Jill Geiser said.
“[Director of Finance, Business and Operations Anthony DiCologero] and his team are continuing to work with the bus company identifying issues, especially with late arrivals. That continues to happen, and they have addressed a lot of the issues already,” Geiser said.
She added the district is in the process of adding an additional bus route for the middle high school. A transportation plan for this year reduced bus service in certain areas to move service to areas in need.
“Many students are on a wait list, and families are experiencing hardship without that transportation,” Geiser said. She added that the district hopes to have the bus operating by the end of the following week.
The district plans to use Chapter 70 money to pay for the additional bus, which requires the approval of Town Meeting.
New Administrators
Geiser introduced three new members of the Belmont Public Schools leadership team.
Kristin Perez is the new assistant director of business finance and operations for the district. She previously worked in school nutrition for Waltham Public Schools.
Jordan Weymer is the new principal of Wellington Elementary School. He was previously an elementary principal in Stoneham and Boston.
Jeffrey Haines is the new principal of Butler Elementary School. Before coming to Belmont, he was an assistant principal in Lowell and Derry, New Hampshire.
Fields Update
Belmont’s field manager Eriq Joyce gave the School Committee an update on the condition of the middle high school’s multi-use field and the West Harris softball field.
Joyce said he is working to establish consistent maintenance programs for the fields. Over the summer, the town addressed the dampness of the multi-use field and seeded the area for additional grass growth.
To maintain the field’s condition, the multi-use field will be closed for the remainder of the fall sports season, Joyce said.
“For me, this is about being proactive rather than reactive. I want to take pride in these fields, stay engaged with their conditions throughout the year, and continue working towards the best possible playing environment for the Belmont students and school community,” Joyce said.
