Town Government
School Committee & Superintendent
The Superintendent
Justin Bartholomew
About 2,285 students start their day in this district, and one person answers for all of it. Justin Bartholomew is Superintendent of the Pentucket Regional School District, which West Newbury shares with Groveland and Merrimac, proposing the district budget, setting academic priorities, and running its six 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 spending the Town Manager does not build. It comes from the Superintendent to the School Committee, and then each of the three towns votes its own share of the district assessment at its Town Meeting.
| Role | Superintendent, Pentucket Regional School District |
|---|---|
| Website | prsd.org |
The School Committee
Because West Newbury runs no schools of its own, its School Committee is the Pentucket Regional School Committee, nine members in all: three elected by West Newbury, three by Groveland and three by Merrimac, each to a staggered three-year term. So West Newbury voters choose three of the nine, and the other six answer to the neighboring towns. The committee sets district policy, approves the district budget, and hires and evaluates the Superintendent. It publishes its own officers, and on the district’s roster the Vice Chair, Emily Zeitsev, and the Secretary, Brienne Walsh, are named while the Chair’s seat is listed without a name. Meetings are held on the third Tuesday of the month at Pentucket Regional Middle High School, and they are public, which means a West Newbury student who shows up can speak.
Emily Zeitsev
Dena Trotta
Nate Frieswyk
Brienne Walsh
Julie King
Maritza Smith
Michael Hawes
Beth Greenhagen
Kelly Beaton
The full committee roster is posted at prsd.org/school-committee/committee-members, and the district notes that emails to and from the committee are part of the public record.
The District at a Glance
- Enrollment: 2,285 students across the three towns.
- Schools: six, including the Dr. John C. Page School here in West Newbury and Pentucket Regional Middle High School.
- Graduation rate: 98.1%.
- State data: DESE profile (code 07450000).
Meetings & Participation
- When: the third Tuesday of the month, at Pentucket Regional Middle High School.
- Public comment: the committee welcomes community members to speak on matters within its purview.
- Agendas: posted with the committee’s materials at prsd.org, and the meetings are open to the public.
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