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Carrying a large bouquet of flowers, Lorraine Ward pulled her school bus into her Pine Ridge Road driveway after dropping off the last of her Crisafulli students on June 21.
The bus would end up at the Town Farm Road parking area that day.
The 2016-17 school year was over and Ward’s daughter had given her flowers to mark the occasion.
“She gave them to me at the high school in front of all the kids,” said Ward.
Across town, students free from the burdens of final exams and homework, were outdoors riding bicycles and walking along the roadways.
The last day of school is a celebration of the long break ahead and the completion of another year of learning.
While Westford seniors completed all classes and studies last month, students in the remaining grades finished taking exams only this week.
The school year was punctuated by a successful override request at the ballot box — just in time for School Committee members to begin contract negotiations with teachers. The override of Proposition 2 1/2 enables school officials to bridge a 6 percent salary gap between what Westford teachers earn and that earned by teachers in comparable communities.
Proposition 2 1/2 is a state law that limits property tax increases to 2.5 percent plus new growth. The permanent tax hike will raise $1.6 million over three years in property taxes.
When questioned about contract negotiations with the teachers, School Committee Chairman Terry Ryan declined comment.
The 2017-18 school year begins the week of Aug. 28 with staggered start dates for different grades.
