School Committee is a group of five Wellesley residents elected by the town at-large to each serve for a three-year term and in that time, steer the School Department through budgetary decisions, inter-department discussions, district-wide policies, and more. Among the five, a chair, vice-chair, and secretary exist, each with different roles in managing the conduct of the committee.
School Committee, as a publicly-elected board, holds about two evening meetings per month typically Town Hall (currently over Zoom) which are recorded for public viewing online by Wellesley Media. Each of these meetings, in addition to the aforementioned five elected members, also includes the Superintendent and Assistant Superintendents of Schools and student representation.
School Committee’s roles are manifold. Among other things, the School Committee recognizes the hiring and retiring of school employees, approves out-of-state and overnight field trips, shapes and votes on district-wide policies, and reviews standardized testing score reports. The School Committee also takes on many key roles coordinating facilities-related projects in the schools, with representation on other committees that oversee the construction or renovation of municipal buildings in Wellesley. Perhaps the most prominent roles of the School Committee are its final review, approval, and presentation to Town Meeting of the annual budget request as well as its hiring and evaluation of the Superintendent and Assistant Superintendents.
A typical Wellesley resident is not granted the opportunity to speak at School Committee meetings at any time, but rather may speak at designated Citizen Speak times at the meeting’s beginning and end. The comments made during these sessions are heard but not responded to by the committee members, who may or may not choose to follow up on issues brought forth after the meeting.