Town Government
School Committee & Superintendent
The Superintendent
Eric Tracy
About 1,706 students across the Hamilton-Wenham Regional School District start their day under one person’s charge. Eric Tracy is the Superintendent of Schools, hired by and reporting to the elected School Committee, which sets his goals and evaluates him against them. He proposes the district budget, sets academic priorities, and runs the district’s five schools day to day. Note what this means for the money: the school budget is the one large piece of local spending the Town Manager does not build. It comes from the Superintendent to the regional School Committee, and then to the Town Meetings of Hamilton and Wenham, which each vote their town’s share of the district’s cost.
| Role | Superintendent of Schools |
|---|---|
| Phone | 978-468-5310 |
| Website | hwschools.net |
The School Committee
The Hamilton-Wenham Regional School Committee has seven members, and here is the part worth understanding: they are elected district-wide, by the voters of Hamilton and Wenham together, on the same ballot in both towns. There is no Hamilton seat or Wenham seat. Every member answers to the combined electorate of both towns, and the combined vote decides each seat. Terms are staggered and run three years. The committee sets district policy, approves the school budget, and hires and evaluates the Superintendent. Its meetings are held during the school year and are open to the public, which means a Hamilton or Wenham student who shows up can speak.
Dana Allara
Kristin Noon
Thomas M. Reed
Amy Kunberger
Julia Campbell
Jennifer Carr
David Polito
The committee and its members can be reached through the district office, and agendas and member contacts are posted at hwschools.net. Emails to and from the committee are part of the public record.
The District at a Glance
- Enrollment: 1,706 students, PreK through 12.
- Schools: five, including Hamilton-Wenham Regional High School.
- Graduation rate: 97.3%.
- State data: DESE profile (code 06750000).
Meetings & Participation
- When: during the school year on the committee’s published schedule, at a district school; the district posts the location with each agenda.
- Public comment: the committee welcomes community members to speak on matters within its purview. Check the agenda for how the public-comment period works.
- Watch: meetings are carried live and on demand by HWCAM, the Hamilton-Wenham community access station.
- Agendas: posted at hwschools.net ahead of each meeting, with the location and the draft minutes of the last one.
Curious how a bill becomes law, or how students can take on a civics project?