Persons interested in communicating with the School Committee may:

• Send an email to the School Committee or to an individual member.
• Send a letter to the School Committee Chair or to an individual member, c/o the School Department at 93 Chandler Street. Duxbury, MA 02332.  Letters marked Confidential will be forwarded unopened to the individual.

Duxbury residents are also encouraged to participate in monthly Virtual Office Hours to meet with members of the School Committee.

Over the 2022-2023 school year, the School Committee is committed to accomplishing goals related to:

1. Participating in the DPS budget development process;
2. Partnering with DPS School Councils; and
3. Strengthening internal and external communications.

School Committee Goals for 2022-2023

The authority of the School Committee is derived from the Massachusetts General Laws (MGL). The School Committee maintains authority when its members serve as a legal body. Individual members of the School Committee have no authority over school affairs when acting as individuals. School Committee members are considered elected, special municipal employees.

Powers and Duties

The School Committee shall:

1. Have the power to select, evaluate, and terminate the Superintendent, and appoint, upon the recommendation of the Superintendent, the Assistant Superintendent(s), School Business Administrator, and Special Education Administrator. Such positions shall not report directly to the School Committee.
2. Review, approve and monitor the school district budget.
3. Establish and review educational goals and policies consistent with the requirements of the law and statewide goals, regulations and standards established by the MA Board of Education and Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE), and also reflective of the priorities of the Town.
4. Conduct collective bargaining with all school department bargaining units.
5. Employ legal counsel for collective bargaining and other general purposes.
6. Support the development and promotion of the vision, mission, goals and strategies of the school system, including submitting an Annual Town Report on the state of the schools.

The School Committee consists of five members chosen by ballot from the registered voters of Duxbury to staggered terms. Each term is three years and expires at the annual town election; there is no limit on reelection. Members serve without any compensation.

The School Committee conducts its business in open public meetings. The goal and objectives include, but are not limited to: (i) establishing and periodically reviewing policies, (ii) assuring that the Superintendent uses competent and conscientious personnel and evaluates their performance in implementing School Committee policies, (iii) adopting budgets that will provide sufficient funds to operate the school system economically and effectively to the extent possible given fiscal constraints, (iv) monitoring the school administration’s execution of established policies and (v) establishing and evaluating annual School Committee & Superintendent performance objectives.

The School Committee generally meets every other Wednesday night from the beginning of the school year through January, at which point the meeting schedule scales back to once per month. Meeting schedules, agendas, and minutes are posted online.

Public records requests may be made through the DPS Records Access Officer (RAO), who coordinates Duxbury's response to requests for access to public records.