2024 School Committee

Andover School Committee

About the School Committee

The Andover School Committee consists of five members who are elected town-wide, each to three year terms. Local School Committees derive their authority and responsibilities from the Massachusetts Constitution, from Massachusetts General Law (primarily M.G.L. Chapters 71 and 41, and The Education Reform Act of 1993), and from the regulations of the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE).

The primary responsibilities of the School Committee are: to select and evaluate the Superintendent; to review and approve budgets for public education in the district, and to recommend those budgets for approval by voters at Andover’s Annual Town Meeting; and to establish educational goals and policies for the schools in the district. (See M.G.L. Ch. 71. S. 37.)

Members are also assigned to a number of sub-committee and liaison roles, and typically bring this work back to the full committee for discussion and action.

School Committee Meetings

Business meetings of the Andover School Committee are typically held at 7:00 PM on the first and third Thursdays of each month. The public is welcome and encouraged to attend. Meetings are held in the School Committee room on the second floor of the schools' central offices, located at 30 Whittier Court.

Meetings follow Massachusetts Open Meeting Law, including the requirement for notice of the meeting and an agenda to be posted to the Town of Andover’s website at least 48 hours in advance of the meeting (excluding weekends and holidays). More descriptive agendas with materials supporting meeting discussions are posted separately to the district website.

Master Calendar

We wanted to share some anticipated topics for discussion at School Committee meetings for this fall. This list represents typical annual votes or updates on various agenda items and is not meant to be a complete list of agenda items. This summary is meant to help inform the community when certain topics may be discussed annually on the agenda. We advise reviewing agendas for specific dates and topics. Agendas are posted on the district’s website 48 hours in advance of School Committee meetings.

* topics where two readings occur to ensure sufficient feedback is provided.

September

  • Year-end financials including Budget Transfers (Policy DBJ)

October

  • Superintendent evaluation process and annual goals* Policy CBI

  • School calendar* (following year) Policy IC/ICA

  • Student Activities Accounts

  • October 1 enrollment

November

  • Annual budget calendar*

  • Annual budget planning assumptions* (long range financial planning model)

  • Capital Improvement Plans (as part of annual budget planning)

December

  • Town Meeting Warrant Articles* (varies based on town meeting agenda)

January

  • Annual budget (preliminary) Policy DB

  • Budget presentations by schools/departments

February

  • AHS program of studies and class size enrollment analysis

  • Town Meeting Warrant Articles* (varies based on town meeting agenda)

March

  • Superintendent mid-year goals checkpoint Policy CBI

  • Annual budget* (may vary based on annual town meeting schedule)

  • School Committee Organization Policy BDA

April

  • Subcommittee Appointments & Liaison Assignments

May

June

  • Superintendent End of Year evaluation* (one meeting -last June mtg)

  • Budget Transfers Policy DBJ

  • School Improvement plans Policy BDFA

Governance and Management

The Andover School Committee, in collaboration with the Superintendent and administration, takes a systemic approach to roles, responsibilities, relationships, and planning processes, structures, and sound practices.

Governance v. Management

Community Participation

School Committee members recognize their responsibility to reflect and represent the diverse needs of the community. There are a number of ways to provide input and feedback on issues under the purview of the School Committee.

Attend Informal Forums

Much like “office hours,” these forums allow for a more interactive dialogue than what is allowed at business meetings. These meetings have no set agenda, are attended by only two members of the Committee (as to stay below quorum and, therefore, avoid deliberation). All members of the Andover community are welcome and encouraged to attend to discuss any item under the purview of the School Committee.

Informal forums typically take place monthly during the school year and are offered at various times (weekend mornings, weekday mornings, and weeknights). To review the upcoming School Committee Informal Forum, please visit this webpage.

Watch a Meeting

AndoverTV records and broadcasts meetings. You can watch them live on the education channel of Andover public access television (Comcast channel 6 and Verizon channel 43) or by livestreaming from the AndoverTV website. Previous meetings can be viewed from the AndoverTV archive and, once approved, meeting minutes are posted to the district website.

Email the School Committee

If your inquiry is best answered by a member of the school or district staff, please review the Andover Public Schools Communication Protocols and Resolution Procedures to identify the proper contact to assist you.

Emails sent to schoolcommittee@andoverma.us will reach all five members of the Committee. 

The Chairperson of the Committee will respond as soon as possible. If the School Committee is not the agent to address your concern, we will direct you to the appropriate resource.


Andover School Committee Facebook Page

Provide Comment at Regular Business Meetings

The public can provide input during business meetings. 

Each regular meeting includes Public Input as an agenda item. During this time, individuals are given an opportunity to express an opinion on issues within the School Committee’s authority. This agenda item is limited to 10 minutes total; if more time is required, public input will resume after new business on the agenda. 

School Committee policy BEDH and policy BEDH-E go into further detail on the process for public input, including time limitations and appropriate topics.

Per Open Meeting Law, the Committee cannot deliberate on topics that are not on posted the agenda, as that does not give the community proper notice of such a discussion. Therefore, the Committee will not be able to discuss or have a back-and-forth dialogue about items raised during public comment. Where warranted, items raised during public comment can be added to future agendas.

Additionally, feedback on posted agenda items is encouraged at business meetings in order to inform decisions. Typically, the public is asked to wait until the meeting comes to each particular agenda item to hear feedback on it as part of the discussion.