Town Government
School Committee & Superintendent
The Superintendent
Dr. Laurie Hunter
About 1,868 students start their day in Concord Public Schools, and one person answers for all of it. Dr. Laurie Hunter is Superintendent of Schools for Concord Public Schools and for the Concord-Carlisle Regional School District, which means one superintendent serves two separate districts with two separate school committees. The Superintendent proposes the school budget, sets academic priorities, and is responsible for the administrative operation of both districts. The committees hire and evaluate the Superintendent; the Superintendent runs the schools. Note what this means for the money: the school budget is the one large piece of town spending the Town Manager does not build. It comes from the Superintendent to the School Committee, and then to the same Town Meeting that votes everything else.
| Role | Superintendent of Schools, Concord Public Schools and Concord-Carlisle Regional School District |
|---|---|
| District office | 120 Meriam Road, Concord, MA 01742 |
| Phone | 978-318-1500 |
| Website | concordps.org |
The School Committee
The Concord School Committee has five members, elected by the voters of the Town of Concord to staggered three-year terms. It sets district policy, reviews and approves the school budget, and appoints and evaluates the Superintendent. Concord voters also help fill a second body: the Concord-Carlisle Regional District School Committee, which runs the high school and is these same five members plus two elected in Carlisle, seven in all. That is why one town’s ballot can shape two school districts at once.
Sandeep Pisharody
Andrew Herchek
Tracey Marano
Michael Williams
Andrew Magliozzi
The district publishes a Contact School Committee page, its meeting agendas and minutes, and its policy manual at concordps.org. Emails to and from a school committee are public records.
The District at a Glance
- Enrollment: 1,868 students in Concord Public Schools.
- Schools: four, Alcott, Thoreau, Willard and Concord Middle. The high school, Concord-Carlisle, belongs to the regional district.
- Spending per pupil: $27,657.97.
- State data: DESE profile (code 00670000).
Meetings & Participation
- When: the School Committees meet twice a month, with additional meetings and joint sessions scheduled as needed.
- Public comment: the meetings are public, which means a Concord student who shows up can ask to speak. Check the posted agenda for the procedure.
- Watch: the district says its meetings are televised and posted to the Concord and CCRSD School Committee meeting channel, so you can watch a decision get made without leaving your kitchen. The studio that films them is Minuteman Media Network, and it is inside Concord-Carlisle High School.
- Agendas & minutes: posted by the district, along with an archive of past meetings and the committee’s own protocols and goals.
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