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.
The School Committee is seeking nominations for the APS Staff Shout Out. This is an effort to recognize our extraordinary staff who embody the mission, values, and vision of the Andover Public Schools. Please share your nominations here. Selected staff will be announced at each School Committee meeting. We look forward to hearing how our staff have made a meaningful impact on your student(s).
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.
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.
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.
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.
