What Are the Responsibilities of the School Committee?

The School Committee is often held as the ultimate authority when it comes to issues in the schools. While the School Committee does have responsibility and control over creating and executing the long-term vision of Burlington Public Schools in conjunction with the Superintendent of Schools, the reality is that this Committee doesn’t get involved in the day-to-day operations of the School Department.

The main responsibilities of the School Committee are threefold: Hire and evaluate the superintendent, set policy, and set the budget. They also sit in on union contract negotiations, and they’re responsible for implementing Child Find to locate, identify, and evaluate all children with disabilities.

They don’t get into the day-to-day implementation of curriculum, discipline, or any of the other things schools are known to deal with. Of course, if they judge that a superintendent is not fulfilling their job responsibilities, they can respond by demanding improvement or by hiring a new superintendent who they feel would align with their priorities and vision for the school department.

Read more about the responsibilities of the School Committee, and learn about your candidates for the contested School Committee race this year.