Town Government
School Committee & Superintendent
The Superintendent
Brian J. Blake
About 1,509 students start their day in this district, and one person answers for all of it. Dr. Brian J. Blake is Superintendent of Schools, proposing the school budget, setting academic priorities and running four schools day to day. The Superintendent is hired by and reports to the elected School Committee, which evaluates him against goals it publishes and votes on. 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 |
|---|---|
| Office | Ipswich Public Schools, 1 Lord Square, Ipswich, MA 01938 |
| Phone | 978-356-2935 |
| Website | ipsk12.net |
The School Committee
The Ipswich School Committee has seven members, all elected town-wide to staggered three-year terms under section 5 of the town charter. Ipswich is a single-town district, so all seven answer to Ipswich voters and nobody else. The committee sets district policy, approves the school budget, and hires and evaluates the Superintendent. Its published officer title is Chair. Meetings are public, which means an Ipswich student who shows up can speak.
Dianna Freehan
Jennifer Donahue
Haley Rist
Jenny Connolly
Greg Stevens
Andrew Bunnell
Paul Montanus
The committee’s roster, its meeting schedule and its agendas are published by the district at ipsk12.net.
The District at a Glance
- Enrollment: 1,509 students, PreK through 12.
- Schools: four, including Ipswich High.
- Graduation rate: 95.0%.
- State data: DESE profile (code 01440000).
Meetings & Participation
- When: the first and third Thursday evening of the month. The district publishes its own calendar and the town posts committee agendas to the Agenda Center.
- Public comment: committee meetings are open, and residents may address the committee on matters within its purview. Check the agenda for how the chair takes speakers.
- Watch: ICAM Ipswich records and streams the town’s public meetings.
- Run for it: the School Committee is one of the offices Ipswich voters elect directly, and three of its seven seats were on the May 19, 2026 ballot.
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