Town Government
School Committee & Superintendent
Two Committees, One Student’s Path
Shutesbury splits its schooling in two, and understanding that split tells you which committee to go to. Shutesbury Elementary teaches the town’s roughly 121 students from PreK through grade 6, and it is the town’s own school. In seventh grade a Shutesbury student moves to the Amherst-Pelham Regional schools, the middle and high school shared with Amherst, Pelham, and Leverett. So Shutesbury voters elect one committee for the elementary years, and the town also shares in the regional committee that governs the upper grades.
The Superintendent
Shannon White-Cleveland
About 121 students start their day at Shutesbury Elementary, and one person answers for the district that runs it. Shannon White-Cleveland is the Superintendent of the Erving School Union 28, the shared superintendency that Shutesbury runs its elementary school through, together with Erving, Leverett, and the New Salem-Wendell district. The Superintendent proposes the school budget, sets academic priorities, and runs the district day to day. She is hired by and reports to the elected School Committee, which carries out an annual evaluation. Once a Shutesbury student reaches seventh grade, a different leader takes over: Dr. E. Xiomara Herman is Superintendent of the Amherst-Pelham Regional School District, which runs the middle and high school the four towns share.
| Elementary district | Shutesbury (PreK to grade 6), through Erving School Union 28 |
|---|---|
| Superintendent | Shannon White-Cleveland (Union 28) |
| Regional district (7 to 12) | Amherst-Pelham Regional, Superintendent Dr. E. Xiomara Herman |
| Website | union28.org · arps.org |
The Shutesbury School Committee
The Shutesbury School Committee has five members, elected town-wide at Town Meeting to staggered three-year terms, and it governs Shutesbury Elementary. The committee sets school policy, approves the elementary school budget, and works with the union superintendent who runs the district day to day. The principal of Shutesbury Elementary, Anne Magill, sits with the committee as a non-voting member. Its meetings are public, which means a Shutesbury student who shows up can speak.
Leah Jack
Katrina Catalano
Anna Heard
Megan Lennon
Nathan Longcope
For grades 7 to 12, Shutesbury also elects representatives to the Amherst-Pelham Regional School Committee, which governs the schools shared with Amherst, Pelham, and Leverett.
Shutesbury Elementary at a Glance
- Enrollment: 121 students, PreK through grade 6.
- School: Shutesbury Elementary School.
- Grades 7 to 12: the Amherst-Pelham Regional schools.
- State data: DESE profile (code 02720000).
Meetings & Participation
- When: the committee meets on a posted schedule during the school year, with agendas and remote links published in advance.
- Public comment: residents may address the committee. Check the agenda for sign-up details.
- The regional committee: the Amherst-Pelham Regional School Committee meets separately and posts its agendas at arps.org.
- Subcommittees: much of the detailed work on budget, policy, and facilities happens in subcommittees.
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