Dear Shrewsbury Families & Colleagues,
Well, I almost jinxed things by proclaiming no more snow days in my last communication – thank goodness the recent unexpected storm was on Saturday! It looks like seasonal weather is back, hopefully for good. During this spring season of various celebrations, I hope that all who recently celebrated had a colorful Holi, a joyful Eid al-Fitr, and a happy Passover, and best wishes for a happy Easter to all who will be celebrating on Sunday. Last evening, when attending our town's Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging Committee's panel discussion at the Shrewsbury Public Library, I was again reminded of the rich diversity our Shrewsbury community enjoys, with so many different cultural and faith traditions among our neighbors.
I have had the good fortune to be living in town and serving as a school leader for almost 28 years now, and several times over the past few weeks I have had the pleasure of running into former students or their parents and discovering how these graduates have fared in their adult lives. It gives me enormous pride to learn of their successes – here are just a few examples: a podiatrist who cared for her former principal's feet; a Shrewsbury Police lieutenant who provided training to our school leaders; a PhD cancer researcher at UMass Medical; a pharmacy assistant heading to dental school; a reporter for the Boston Globe; a law school graduate who will be clerking for a federal judge; and a business graduate accepted into a prestigious finance program. I also continue to be pleased and proud that we have so many alumni who have come back to work for SPS as educators to serve the next generation. It is extremely gratifying to see the evidence that our schools have prepared our students well for their future pursuits, which underscores the importance of our work to provide an excellent education for almost 6,000 of our community's youth.
I deeply appreciate all of your continued support so that our schools can continue to succeed, and I am asking for families' feedback regarding my communication and leadership of the district by taking this brief survey by the end of the week (staff will receive a separate survey link). I will share this feedback with the School Committee as part of my annual evaluation process.
Please read on for some brief updates on two leadership hires; a finance and budget update; and a reminder about April Vacation.
Congratulations to two new SPS leaders:
I am pleased to announce the appointment of two new leadership colleagues:
- Ms. Kelly Seddiki will be our next Executive Director of Human Resources, succeeding Ms. Barbara Malone, who has served with great distinction in this important role since 2012 and will be retiring. Ms. Seddiki brings excellent experience as a highly successful Human Resources leader in non-profit organizations, and she is also a public education leader in her home community of Webster, where she serves as chair of the School Committee.
- Mr. Michael Lapomardo will be our next Director of Performing Arts, succeeding Mr. Thomas O'Toole, who has admirably led our music and theater program since 2014. Ms. Lapomardo, known fondly as "Mr. L," is a longtime, award-winning choir instructor and director of both musicals and plays here in Shrewsbury who will now become the leader of our K-12 Performing Arts Department.
I look forward to working with Ms. Seddiki and Mr. Lapomardo as they assume these key leadership roles.
Next year's budget and long-term financial planning:
The School Committee recently unanimously approved the district's Fiscal Year 2026 Budget recommendation to Town Meeting. You can view the budget presentation slides here. Earlier this week, the School Committee shared information about the long-term financial and capital planning that has been completed over the past few years, and this information can be found on the School Committee's Long-Term Financial Planning web page. We are very fortunate that we have a stable financial situation in Shrewsbury, thanks to our community's support of the operational override in 2021, during a time when many Massachusetts school districts and municipal governments are making cuts to education and town services.
Have a terrific April Vacation!:
As we head into April Vacation next week, a reminder that this break is the last "no homework" period for students, with no homework due or assessments requiring studying given on Monday, April 28. I hope you have a relaxing and fun time with family and friends!
Respectfully,
Joe Sawyer
Superintendent of Schools