CNS News | September 2026

We hope the 2026-27 school year started successfully for everyone in our community. We are excited to welcome Nick Giudice & Alexis St. James to the CNS Board.

Citizens for Needham Schools (CNS) continues to provide accurate, timely, and relevant information to help families and residents understand school-related issues and make informed choices. With so many important upcoming projects in the Needham Public Schools, including the Pollard Middle School building project, we are working to expand our audience. Please forward this newsletter to neighbors and friends who might be interested, particularly those with young children who may not yet be in the NPS system, so that they can join our mailing list.

Joanie Daly, Co-Chair

Abigail Hays, Co-Chair

Elizabeth Bresnahan, Vice Chair

Stefanie Forman, Vice Chair

Nick Giudice

Keith LaFace

Alexis St. James

Kara Williams

School Committee Summaries

Did you know that CNS watches and summarizes every School Committee meeting into a quick digestible read for the community? We take a 2 hr meeting and create a 5 minute read to keep you informed on curriculum initiatives, policy decision making, and district achievements.  

You can catch up with the latest news by following along on our website or Facebook & Instagram pages. Here is our summary for the first School Committee meeting of the School year on Sept 15th!

Pollard Middle School Building Project & the November Override Vote

Did you know that in order for the Pollard Project to move forward, the community must vote in support of an override on November 3rd?

The CNS Board unanimously supports the Pollard Middle School Project and urges the community to vote YES on the November 3rd debt exclusion override to fund this project. 

We support our recommendation for three key reasons:

1. Reunification of 6-8th grade in one middle school is the best design to meet Needham students’ educational program and space needs.
2. The Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA) has approved this design and is committed to reimbursing up to $80.6 million dollars to offset tax payer costs.
3. Voting No will NOT save the town money! Pollard & High Rock will still require costly repairs and it will take longer to fix our schools. After reimbursement, a new school is more cost effective than a base repair.

Please see our post in support of the Pollard override for more information and other resources.

Upcoming Events

School Committee Open Houses at Pollard Middle School on 9/19 & 10/17!

CNS encourages all residents to come to a School Committee Open House where you can ask questions of our School Committee members and Building Department staff, see designs of the proposed new school, and tour the current environment at Pollard! You don’t want to miss this! 

Harvest Fair 10/4 11am-3pm at Greene’s Field!

Come stop by the CNS table! Learn more about who we are, tell us your concerns, and get some candy by playing some fun games. 

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