What's Happening in Andover, MA…

An election and new appointments have changed the look of the Andover School Committee.

Shannon Scully and Paul Murphy were recently elected to the committee and sworn in. Joel Blumstein was unanimously elected by the committee to be the new chairman, and Susan McCready was elected to be vice-chairman.

Blumstein commented that it is an honor to lead the committee, and he is very optimistic about its future as its members take their jobs very seriously and have a real purpose in mind.

Blumstein’s biggest priority as chairman is communication. He said that people within the committee listen to each other, have respectful discussions, and listen to parents, but he became aware during the recent campaign that not everyone in the city feels they are being heard.

More two-way communication needs to be fostered and various methods can be used, such as newsletter printing, to inform the community of school committee decisions and the provision of email addresses so the community can respond and provide their input.

The new chairman added that the new members talked a lot about communication in their campaigns, so he is looking forward to discussing the issues and enabling everyone to voice their concerns. He also expects that engaging parents in discussion will ensure that committee members are role models for the children and everyone in town.