March 31, 2023
Dear Shrewsbury Families, Colleagues, & Community Members,
As March "goes out like a lamb," we head into the last two and a half months of the school year with many accomplishments to celebrate and much more to do by June to help our students have the most successful year possible. This past Wednesday evening, I delivered my annual "State of the District" report, which is summarized by the following three messages:
1) The state of the district is both strong and vulnerable
2) Our schools face multiple, complex challenges
3) Our future success will depend on strengthening systems in order to empower people
I invite you to click the link above to view my presentation slides, or watch it here.
At the at same meeting, consultants from Focused Schools presented a draft of the proposed strategic plan for the school district for 2023-2027. I encourage you to view their presentation slides here, read the draft plan here, or watch the presentation here. The draft strategic plan proposes three commitments the district will make for its work over the next five years:
1) A commitment to educational excellence
2) A commitment to the enhanced well-being of all
3) A commitment to optimizing resources
There are a number of recommended strategic priorities, potential action steps, and proposed measures of impact listed in the document. The School Committee and SPS leadership invite you to share your feedback regarding the draft strategic plan through an online exchange by clicking here. There will also be a public hearing on the draft strategic plan at the next regular School Committee meeting on the evening of April 12, and the School Committee is scheduled to vote on the plan on April 26.
Finally, the winter edition of the Shrewsbury School Journal was mailed to all residences in town this past week. For those of you who do not live in Shrewsbury or who would prefer to read an electronic version, please click here to see many informative news items about our school district's work.
I hope you all have a terrific early spring weekend. Thank you for your continued support of our schools!
Respectfully,
Joe Sawyer
Superintendent of Schools