Shutesbury Elementary School is its own school district, and is part of the Erving Union #28. Each district has its own elected school committee. There are five members of the Shutesbury School Committee who are elected at the annual Town Meeting for terms of up to three years.
The Massachusetts Association of School Committees handbook states: “as the representative of the community, the school committee is accountable for the quality of education in the school district. It is the responsibility of the school committee to inform, as well as to listen to, constituents. In order for the public to clearly understand the role of the school committee--its goals and objectives--there must be an effective communications program that will clearly identify the committee's expectations for the school district.“ The handbook also says that school “committees must be responsive to the needs of students and staff, and reflect the attitudes of the community”.
The three major areas relating to managing educational needs that the School Committee is responsible for are: (1) policy, (2) budget, and (3) the Superintendent of Schools. The School Committee is also responsible for the children in town who are involved in our three public schools – Shutesbury Elementary, Amherst Regional Middle School, and Amherst-Pelham Regional High School – as well as those who are Home-Schooled.
Our School Committee works with two different School Districts: the Erving School Union #28, which governs the four elementary schools in five towns – Erving, Leverett, Shutesbury, New Salem & Wendell; and the Amherst-Pelham Regional system for middle and high school, which combines a different group of four towns – Amherst, Leverett, Pelham, and Shutesbury. Shutesbury has three delegates to the Union #28 Joint School Committee and one representative to the Amherst-Pelham Region School Committee.
Current members:
Bethany Rose, roseb@shutesburyschool.org
Chair, Joint Supervisory Committee Voting Member Policy CommitteeJulie Martel, martelj@shutesburyschool.org
Vice Chair, Policy Committee Joint Supervisory Committee Voting MemberJennifer Taylor, taylorj@shutesburyschool.org
Joint Supervisory Committee Alternate MemberCapital Planning and Building LiaisonJeremy Mailloux, maillouxj@shutesburyschool.org
Representative to Collaborative for Educational ServicesJoint Supervisory Committee Voting Member Budget and Personnel CommitteeAnna Heard, hearda@shutesburyschool.org
Representative to Amherst-Pelham RegionalJoint Supervisory Committee Alternate Member“What Does the School Committee Do?”
Promotes open communication between the community and the school by scheduling regular public meetings, by noting community attitudes and areas of satisfaction and concern, by being available and responsive to contacts from all citizens.
Supports the development of the vision, missions, goals and strategies of the school system.
Establishes and reviews educational goals and policies. Establishes criteria to determine if they are being met.
Reviews and approves the school budget working with the Superintendent.
Provides representatives to the Erving Union #28 School Committee that appoints the Superintendent and sets compensation for the Superintendent.
Provides representatives to the Erving Union #28 School Committee that evaluates and offers guidance to the Superintendent.
Provides representatives to the Erving Union #28 School Committee that may terminate the employment of the Superintendent in accordance with State law and the terms of the contract of employment.
Takes part in collective bargaining as employer of school employees for contract negotiations.
Reviews a professional development plan for all principals, teachers and professional staff employed by the school.
Communicates local concerns and issues to state and national officials by working with other school committees through state and national school committee associations.
Reviews major adoption or revision of curriculum and textbooks upon recommendation of the Superintendent.
“When do meetings happen? What is on the agenda?”
The local committee normally meets at 7:00 PM on the THIRD THURSDAY of every month at the elementary school; changes may occur to accommodate holidays, or to meet specific town, school, or union deadlines. Dates are posted at Town Hall & on the Town Website and are also announced in the SES Roadtown News. The School Committee meetings calendar can be viewed here. The agenda will be placed on the SES website.
These working meetings are public meetings and open to all! We welcome your input, ideas, and support. If you have an item/topic to be addressed -- please call a SC member to discuss having it put on the agenda. The Chair works with the Superintendent, Principal and committee members to create each agenda in advance of the meetings. We try to set our agendas at least two weeks prior to meetings. Every meeting has a Public Hearing time at the beginning of the meeting, specifically for people to bring up items directly to the School Committee. It is a time for us to listen to you. Issues raised in Public Hearing will usually not be responded to at the meeting; rather the SC and/or administration will decide who’s responsible for doing further work & will create an action plan and they will report back at a later time. It is the prerogative of the Chair of the School Committee to determine if any additional time will be allotted for discussion to an issue not on that night’s agenda. The agenda for each meeting usually covers reports from the (1) Principal, (2) Superintendent, (3) our Amherst-Pelham and (4) Union #28 Representatives, as well as new and unfinished business for the committee.
“What If I Have a School-Related Concern?”
Members of the School Committee are your representatives. Two-way communication is essential to their job of representing the interests and concerns of the community. Caregivers and students have a fundamental right to contact School Committee members directly. You can expect SC members to listen sensitively and respect confidentiality in all communications. SC members can better serve the community because of the information you share. Please note, that under the 1993 Massachusetts Educational Reform changes, School Committees intervene only indirectly in the daily operations of a school. The Superintendent and Principal have the responsibility and discretion to implement policies, conduct hiring, and carry out goals according to their best professional judgment. In the end, the School Committee carries out professional oversight of the Superintendent and helps set policies and goals that help inform her or his work.
As a rule, it is most effective to be direct and clear about your concern with the person who can most immediately meet your request. If it is an issue with a teacher, it is best to discuss it directly with the teacher first. If you need additional resolution, go next to the School Principal. Similarly, the best course of action is usually to allow the Principal an opportunity to resolve your concern, before going on to the Superintendent. It is always important for School Committee members to hear about school concerns, in order to set or revise policies, but their responsibility is broader, and less direct. In general, you will find direct communication with the person closest to the situation is the best way to begin to resolve nearly every school related concern.
Source: Massachusetts Association of School Committees, School Committee
In 1993, state legislative reform changed the roles and responsibilities of School Committees. The Massachusetts Association of School Committees (MASC) is a great resource to all citizens interested in the roles and responsibilities of School Committees. MASC can be reached at www.masc.org or (800) 392-6023 in Boston.
Effective communication is important for everyone involved in Shutesbury Elementary School. For many things, communication should start with your child’s classroom teacher or the specialist involved with your child. Please let your child’s teacher know your preferred manner of communication.
Urgent or time-sensitive information: Some matters are either urgent or time-sensitive. If you have this kind of information to share with a teacher, please make sure that this is clear. You may want to communicate directly to ensure the teacher gets the message in a timely manner. This may involve leaving a phone message, sending an email, or both.
Concerns or other matters: If you have concerns or if there are other matters you want to discuss with the teacher, please try to convey this clearly and make a time to discuss this fully with the teacher.
Shannon Cleveland, Superintendent of Schools; cleveland@erving.com
The superintendent is the primary administrator for the entire district, Erving Union #28, which includes Shutesbury, Leveret, Erving and Wendell/New Salem. In this capacity, the superintendent is the supervisor for the principal. The Superintendent reports to the School Committee. A fifteen member Union #28 Committee, including three representatives from the Shutesbury School Committee, directly supervise the Superintendent.
Caitlin Sheridan, Director of Finance and Operations; sheridan@erving.com
Robyn Vitello, Executive Secretary; vitello@erving.com
Amy Langdon, Director of Student Support; langdon@erving.com
Gillian Budine, Early Childhood Coordinator; budine@erving.com
Central Administration, 170 Chestnut Street, Amherst, MA 01002 (413) 362-1810
Superintendent
Dr. Doug Slaughter
slaughterd@arps.org
Tel. (413) 362-1807
Assistant to the Superintendent
Sasha Figueroa
FigueroaS@arps.org
Tel. (413) 362-1807
The Education Reform Act of 1993 called for the establishment of a school council in each and every school to help shape educational policies and programs. Caregivers, teachers, and community member’s work together to assist the principal in adopting educational goals for the school, identifying educational needs of the students, reviewing the annual budget, and formulating a school improvement plan.
Meetings are open to the public.
Elections for School Council (* a Co-chair is needed) are held in the fall at the Open House, and are conducted by the PTO in accordance with policies approved by the School Committee (Policy File: BDFA).
School Council Members Contact:
Anne Magill Principal/ Co-Chair 413-259-1212
Viva Butler SES Faculty/Parent 413-259-1212
Kim Salditt-Poulin SES Faculty 413-259-1212
Erving Union #28 Joint School Committee usually meets three times a year: September, January and May. The locations rotate among the four elementary schools & are announced in our SC minutes. There is a Union #28 Budget and personnel Subcommittee comprised of one representative from each of the five local School Committees. This subcommittee meets four to five times per year.
The Amherst-Pelham Regional School Committee meets once or twice a month, usually on a Tuesday at 7:00 PM. Locations are listed in the local papers & available from the Central Administration office. A representative of the Shutesbury Committee sits on this Committee.
All caregivers are welcome and encouraged to attend the meetings of this very important group. The expressed goals of the PTO are:
To initiate caregiver participation in classroom programs
To provide extra-curricular activities for both caregivers and their children
To support school fundraising efforts
As a caregiver, you are invited to participate in any area listed above and/or to suggest any form of academic help, personal talent, or interest, which you might offer to our school through this organization. The Shutesbury PTO meets once a month, usually virtually.
For information please email the Shutesbury PTO at: shutesburypto@gmail.com or visit: https://www.shutesburypto.org/