Town Government
Norton School Committee & Superintendent
The Superintendent
Dr. Jennifer O’Neill
About 2,277 students start their day in this district, and one person answers for all of it. Dr. Jennifer O’Neill leads Norton Public Schools, proposing the school budget, setting academic priorities, and running five schools day to day. She is not a newcomer to the buildings she runs: by her own account she has been a Norton educator for more than twenty years. The Superintendent is hired by and reports to the elected School Committee, which evaluates her 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 |
|---|---|
| Phone | (508) 285-0100 |
| Website | norton.k12.ma.us |
The School Committee
The Norton School Committee has five members, all elected town-wide to staggered three-year terms. Norton is a single-town district, so all five answer to Norton voters and nobody else. The committee sets district policy, approves the school budget, and hires and evaluates the Superintendent. It publishes its own officers, Chairperson and Vice Chairperson, and it meets once or twice a month on Wednesday evenings during the school year. Meetings are public, which means a Norton student who shows up can speak.
Justine Callanan
Nick Schleicher
Heather Forbes
Laura Gustafson
Dan Sheedy
Each member publishes a district email address on the committee’s own page at norton.k12.ma.us, and emails to and from a public board are part of the public record.
The District at a Glance
- Enrollment: 2,277 students, PreK through 12.
- Schools: five, including Norton High.
- Graduation rate: 93.0%.
- State data: DESE profile (code 02180000).
Meetings & Participation
- When: once or twice a month on Wednesday evenings during the school year. Check each posted agenda for the time and place.
- Public comment: the committee accommodates public participation on agenda items at its in-person meetings. Check the agenda for the procedure.
- Watch: the committee shares its meetings with the wider community through a Zoom webinar, and Norton Media Center carries local meeting coverage on demand.
- Agendas: posted with each meeting on the district’s site, with minutes and meeting packets archived by school year.
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