Special School Committee Meeting Focuses On Survey, Contracts, Superintendent Search

In a move forward for the district and town, the Tewksbury School Committee voted on March 16 to ratify the successor agreements with both the TTA and district aides. TTA president Conner Bourgoin was on hand and said the union is “glad we’re through this” and that he looks forward to the vote to ratify.

TTA co-vice president Emily Noel said that, regarding the agreement with the aides, everyone is happy and excited to be on the same page. Chair Keith Sullivan told both TTA members he was appreciative of the efforts it took to get to this place.

The only other issue on the table was the superintendent search. Surveys and focus groups are completed. The district received 437 replies to its survey. The majority, 66.13%, of responses are from parents or guardians of a student. The No. 1 concern was the social/emotional wellbeing of students and staff; a close second was curriculum development and instruction.

Most, 56.52%, believe the next superintendent should be a teacher. The need for communication skills was also a top priority.

Full survey results can be found in the School Committee packet here.

The committee chair thanked everyone who requested to be on the screening committee. He and vice-chair Shannon Demos chose the community members and parents who will serve.

The Screening Committee will be comprised of the following:

• Community Member – Ray Bowden
• Parent – Gina Cueva
• Parent – Danielle Newell
• Parent – Krissy Polimeno
• Special Education Parent – Lisa Wilson
• Alternate Parent (if a selected member discovers they have a scheduling conflict) – Shana Abbott
• Central Office – Rick Pelletier
• Principal – Judi McInnes, Ryan Elementary School Principal
• Student – Harshit Pal
• Teacher – Julie Taggert
• Teacher – Emily Noel
• Teacher – Peter Molloy
• School Committee – Bridget Garabedian

School Committee member Bridget Garabedian was voted chair of the screening committee. The committee also voted to give automatic interviews to members of the school community and qualified town residents who apply.

Applications are due April 25. The screening committee with have orientation on April 23, and interviews will occur the week of April 4.