Town Government
School Committees & Superintendent
The Superintendent
Sheryl Stanton
Hawley is too small to run a school of its own, so it does what hill towns have long done: it joins with its neighbors. Sheryl Stanton is Superintendent of the Mohawk Trail Regional School District and the Hawlemont Regional School, which share one central office and one leader. Hawley’s youngest students attend Hawlemont Regional School, a PreK to grade 6 school the town runs jointly with Charlemont; when students reach grade seven they move up to the Mohawk Trail Regional schools, shared with seven other West County towns. The Superintendent proposes the school budgets, sets academic priorities, and is hired by and reports to the elected school committees, which carry out an annual evaluation. For Hawley, whose school budget is among the largest items the town votes on, the person in this office shapes a number that reaches every household.
| Role | Superintendent, Mohawk Trail Regional School District and Hawlemont Regional School |
|---|---|
| Districts | Hawlemont Regional (PreK to 6, with Charlemont); Mohawk Trail Regional (grades 7 to 12, eight towns) |
| Website | mtrsd.org |
The School Committees
Hawley elects representatives to two regional school committees. On the Mohawk Trail Regional committee, which governs grades 7 to 12, each of the eight member towns holds two seats for a committee of sixteen; Hawley’s votes are weighted at 3.2 of 100 points, in proportion to its size. Hawley’s two Mohawk Trail seats are held by Suzanne Crawford, who serves as Vice Chair of the full committee, and Robert Sears; Martha Thurber of Buckland chairs it. On the Hawlemont Regional School committee, which governs the PreK to grade 6 school shared with Charlemont, each town holds three seats; Hawley’s are held by Ken Bertsch, Peggy Travers, and Kylie Turner, and Suzanne Crawford also represents Hawley on Hawlemont’s Local Education Council.
Martha Thurber
Suzanne Crawford
Robert Sears
Full rosters and terms: Mohawk Trail and Hawlemont committees at mtrsd.org.
The Districts at a Glance
- Hawlemont Regional School: PreK through grade 6, shared with Charlemont.
- Mohawk Trail Regional: grades 7 to 12, about 758 students across the district, shared with seven other towns.
- Per-pupil spending: $26,521.01 in the Mohawk Trail district.
- State data: DESE profile (code 07170000).
Meetings & Participation
- When: the Mohawk Trail committee meets monthly, usually at the school, and the Hawlemont committee meets monthly; agendas and minutes are posted on the district website.
- Public comment: residents may address either committee. Check the agenda for sign-up details.
- Two rooms: elementary questions go to the Hawlemont committee; junior high and high school questions go to the Mohawk Trail committee.
- The budget: the school budget still lands at Town Meeting, where every registered voter can vote on it.
Curious how a bill becomes law, or how students can take on a civics project?