Town Government
Whately School Committee & Superintendent
The Superintendent
Darius Modestow
About 141 students in grades PreK to 6 start their day in Whately’s own elementary district, and one office answers for all of it. Darius Modestow is Superintendent of the Frontier Regional and Union 38 School Districts, a shared office that serves Whately along with Deerfield, Conway, and Sunderland. He proposes the school budget, sets academic priorities, and runs the schools day to day. The Superintendent is hired by and reports to the elected school committees, which carry out an annual evaluation. Whately keeps its own three-member Elementary School Committee for the PreK to 6 grades. In grade 7 Whately students move to Frontier Regional School under a separately elected regional committee, so a Whately family has two different sets of school seats it can run for and two different rooms it can show up in.
| Role | Superintendent of Schools (Frontier Regional and Union 38) |
|---|---|
| Serves | Whately, Deerfield, Conway, and Sunderland |
| Office | 113 North Main Street, South Deerfield, MA 01373 |
| Phone | (413) 665-1155 |
| Website | frsu38.org |
The School Committee
The Whately Elementary School Committee has three members serving staggered three-year terms, all elected town-wide by Whately voters. The committee sets policy for the town’s PreK to 6 district, approves its school budget, and works with the shared Superintendent who runs the schools day to day. Its Chair, Robert Halla, also holds a seat on the Frontier Regional School Committee, the tie between the town’s own schools and the regional high school. The committee’s meetings are public, which means a Whately student who shows up can speak.
Robert Halla
David Theoharides
Henry Frechette
The District at a Glance
- Enrollment: about 141 students, grades PreK to 6.
- School: Whately Elementary School, 273 Long Plain Road.
- Grades 7 to 12: Frontier Regional School, shared with Deerfield, Conway, and Sunderland.
- State data: DESE profile (code 03370000).
Meetings & Participation
- When: on the dates posted in the school committee calendar, with agendas on the district website.
- Public comment: residents may address the committee with the chair’s permission. Check the agenda for sign-up details.
- Watch: town and school meetings are carried by FCAT and posted online.
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