School Committee Approves Costa Rica Exchange Trip, Defers Pool and Gala Votes

EAST LONGMEADOW -- May 11, 2026, East Longmeadow School Committee unanimously approves Costa Rica student exchange, defers pool and gala decisions. The committee voted 5-0 at its May 11 meeting to authorize an East Longmeadow High School student exchange trip to Haredia, Costa Rica from April 18 to April 25, 2027, at an estimated cost of approximately $2,500 per student, roughly $500 less than a parallel Spain trip run earlier this year. The committee also shifted its June meeting schedule to June 15 and June 22, voting 5-0 on that change. Two larger items were continued: a revision to Policy KF governing community use of the new high school's six-lane pool, which Superintendent Gordon Smith tied to an inter-departmental working group convened by the Town Manager, and a request by the East Longmeadow Education Enrichment Foundation to hold its 2027 annual gala, an event that typically draws about 160 attendees and includes alcohol service, in the new school's front atrium and cafeteria on February 7, 2027. The committee agreed to research how other Massachusetts districts have handled alcohol at school-hosted events before voting on the ELEEF request.