Town Government
School Committee & Superintendent
The Superintendent
Sheryl Stanton
About 758 students start their day in this district, and one person answers for all of it. Sheryl Stanton is the Superintendent of the Mohawk Trail Regional School District, proposing the district budget, setting academic priorities, and running the schools day to day. The Superintendent is hired by and reports to the elected Regional School Committee, which carries out an annual evaluation. Heath does not run a school district of its own: it is one of eight towns that pool their students into Mohawk Trail, so the committee Stanton answers to represents Ashfield, Buckland, Charlemont, Colrain, Hawley, Heath, Plainfield, and Shelburne all at once. Heath’s elementary students attend Colrain Central School and then continue to Mohawk Trail Regional Middle and High School.
| Role | Superintendent of Schools, Mohawk Trail Regional School District |
|---|---|
| District office | 24 Ashfield Road, Shelburne Falls, MA 01370 |
| Phone | 413-625-0192 |
| Website | mtrsd.org |
The Regional School Committee
The Mohawk Trail Regional School Committee has 16 members, two elected from each of the eight member towns. Heath holds two of those seats, so a Heath ballot decides two of the sixteen votes on the district budget. The committee sets district policy, approves the school budget, and hires and evaluates the Superintendent who runs the schools day to day. Its meetings are public, which means a Heath student who shows up can speak, and its agendas and minutes are posted on mtrsd.org.
Heath’s seated representative is below. Its second regional seat is currently vacant, so a resident who wants it can run for it at the town election. The full 16-member committee is chaired by Martha Thurber, who holds one of Buckland’s seats, with Suzanne Crawford of Hawley as Vice Chair.
Budge Litchfield
Full roster and terms: Mohawk Trail Regional School Committee at mtrsd.org.
A Second District: Franklin County Technical School
Heath is also a member of the Franklin County Technical School District, a four-year vocational-technical high school in Turners Falls that Heath students can choose through an application and acceptance process. Heath elects one representative to its school committee, Art Schwenger, and the district’s Superintendent is Richard J. Martin. A Heath student can pursue a technical program there instead of at Mohawk Trail, and the town helps fund the district.
The District at a Glance
- Enrollment: 758 students across the eight member towns.
- Member towns: Ashfield, Buckland, Charlemont, Colrain, Hawley, Heath, Plainfield, Shelburne.
- Graduation rate: 88.1%.
- State data: DESE profile (code 07170000).
Meetings & Participation
- When: through the school year, with agendas posted in advance on mtrsd.org.
- Public comment: residents may address the committee. Check the agenda for sign-up details.
- Watch: meeting materials and packets are posted on the district website.
- The budget: the district’s assessment to Heath still lands at Town Meeting, where every registered voter can vote on it.
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