Superintendent's Update

Dear Shrewsbury Families, Colleagues, & Community Members,

On this last school day of 2025 I want to wish you all the best for a wonderful holiday season.  I hope those who celebrated enjoyed a happy Hanukkah, that those celebrating Christmas and Kwanzaa have a festive time with family and friends, and that the new year brings all of you health and happiness.

As you may have heard, I will be retiring from my position at the end of June 2026, and the search for the next superintendent has begun.  For information on the search process, including the screening committee and the job posting, go to https://schools.shrewsburyma.gov/sc/superintendent-search.  Soon after we return from break,  look for a communication from the School Committee soliciting feedback from stakeholders regarding the qualities you wish to see in your next superintendent.  I am confident that the search process will yield excellent candidates and that there will be a smooth transition to whomever the School Committee selects as my successor.

With the strategic guidance of the School Committee and the support of our families and community, our schools have accomplished a great deal since students returned in August, thanks to the outstanding work of our educators, support staff, and leadership team.  The work encapsulated in each school's improvement plan is well underway, and I am very proud of the quality of the education our town's young people are receiving from our public schools.  As always, you can check out the improvement plans and all other documents that have been presented to and approved by the School Committee here, including all of the school improvement plans, updated policies (like this one required by the state regarding the high school competency determination for a diploma), and ongoing efforts to strengthen our educational programming (such as this report on our strong work in literacy).  

Finally, with the high levels of influenza occurring in Massachusetts, please be reminded of our school physician's message regarding prevention.  Please also note that our town's Public Buildings Division will be focusing on a thorough cleaning of classroom surfaces over the break.  

Best wishes for a healthy and joyful school vacation!  

Respectfully,

Joe Sawyer
Superintendent of Schools