Roles and Responsibilities

The School Committee has several responsibilities. They are:

Legislative or policymaking - the development of policy as guides for administrative action and for employing a Superintendent who will implement its policies. Appraisal - evaluating the effectiveness of its policies and their implementation. Provision of financial resources - adoption of a budget that will enable the school system to carry out the Committee's policies. Public relations - providing adequate and direct means for keeping the local citizenry informed about the schools and for keeping itself and the school staff informed about the needs and wishes of the public. Educational planning and evaluation - establishing educational goals and policies that will guide the Committee and staff for the administration and continuing improvement of the educational programs provided by the School District.

Each of these areas can have an enormous impact on the direction of a school system and each of them is a lever for building a better future. According to DESE, “the school committee has oversight of and responsibility for the school system, sets the direction in which the system must go, and establishes criteria to determine if its goals and policies are being met.” I have worked to both develop and align schoolwide initiatives, curriculum, and instruction to a common mission and vision my entire career.

This role is about more than management. It is about working with a team to develop and align to a vision and supporting the administration in implementing that vision. That is how we build a better future.