School Committee

In Massachusetts, school committees are the elected bodies that oversee public school districts. 

School committees have three primary areas of responsibility:

  • to hire, supervise, and evaluate the Superintendent;
  • to approve the district budget; and,
  • to establish educational goals and policies.

The MA Association of School Committees (MASC) provides guidance to school committees across the Commonwealth. 

You can find many excellent resources on their website.

State governance: BESE & DESE

While the School Committee is the district's governing body, the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (BESE) is our state's governing body for public education.

BESE approves state education policy (or regulations), just as our School Committee approves district policies.

The administrative body that manages implementation of these regulations is DESE, the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.

At the district level, the Superintendent is responsible for ensuring that we are in compliance with federal, state, and district policies.