[0:24] Good evening. My name is Rachel Shreveport, chairperson of the Shrewsbury School Committee. Welcome to our special school committee meeting for Wednesday July 8th.

[0:33] Tonight's meeting is being broadcast live on cell code channels 29 and 329 and streams live on Shrewsbury Shrewsbury Media Connections website.

[0:41] Thank you to Liz Papalowski and Shrewsbury Media Connections for their assistance with our broadcast this evening.

[0:46] Tonight's meeting will be rebroadcast on SMC's website and their YouTube channel.

[0:50] We have a short agenda tonight but our first item on our agenda is a recommendation in vote for the appointment of the assistance superintendent for well-being and community systems.

[1:03] As a little bit of background, under mass general law chapter 71 section 59, an appointment of an individual to an assistance superintendent position is by the vote of the school committee on a candidate recommended by the superintendent.

[1:16] Search process for this position is in its final stage, and Dr. Ostrander has presented her

[1:22] recommendation to the School Committee via a memorandum, which was provided to us under

[1:27] separate cover, and will provide additional detail here tonight. Dr. Ostrander.

[1:32] Thank you. Thank you for having me this evening, and I am pleased to recommend the appointment

[1:37] of Mr. Brian Callahan as our next assistant superintendent for well-being and community

[1:42] systems, effective in July, this July of 26. But before speaking specifically about Mr.

[1:50] Kellyanne, I wanted to briefly acknowledge the process that brought us here to this

[1:53] appointment and recommendation. So following the committee's approval of the revised

[1:58] position in the job description in June, we conducted an extensive and highly collaborative

[2:03] search. We received 42 applications for this position and we implemented a rigorous multi-stage

[2:11] process that included application screening, structured interviews, focus groups, which

[2:16] screws very community members, community partners, district leaders, school-based leaders,

[2:21] a performance task, a school committee, a form-style interview, and on-site site visit for

[2:28] to the candidates home district. As one of the first steps in the process, our interview team

[2:34] actually developed a portrait of an ideal candidate. This document identified the characteristics,

[2:39] six mindsets in leadership actions, we believed we're essential for the iness assistance

[2:43] superintendent of our building and community systems and really serve as a foundation

[2:47] for the interview questions, the performance tasks, the feedback and ultimately the evaluation

[2:52] of each candidate. So before I share a bit more about Mr. Kelly and specifically, I wanted

[2:57] to share that the five core leadership skills that we dimensions we were looking for was that

[3:03] this individual needed to be supportive and student-centered, have strong communication and

[3:07] collaboration is innovative and provides opportunities for continuous improvement, is data

[3:14] informed and is a strategic leader and has already established community partnerships and

[3:20] strong family engagement. So throughout this rigorous process, Mr. Kellyanne consistently

[3:25] distinguished himself across these dimensions. And as the process progressed, it became increasingly

[3:31] clear that his leadership experience and approach closely aligned with the qualities that

[3:35] search committee had identified as essential.

[3:38] And it is this alignment that forms the foundation

[3:40] of my recommendation to you this evening.

[3:43] So whether speaking with staff, families, community members,

[3:46] or district leaders, the themes remained remarkably consistent.

[3:50] Mr. Callahan is student-centered, collaborative,

[3:53] thoughtful, and exceptional, exceptional communicator,

[3:57] and someone who approaches complex problems with curiosity,

[4:00] respect, and practical solutions.

[4:02] Mr. Callahan brings 30 years of educational experience, including 14 years as principal of Westboro High School,

[4:10] following previous service as an assistant principal, athletic director and teacher.

[4:15] This role requires someone who can lead and develop complex systems while never losing sight of individual students and families.

[4:23] Brian brings extensive secondary level leadership experience in supporting student well-being,

[4:28] developing inclusive programming for student mental health, strengthening school climate through

[4:32] PBS and advisory systems, and building authentic partnerships with families and community

[4:38] organizations. Many of the systems he has collaborated to build in Westboro have also been

[4:43] at Westboro High School have also been embedded in grown district wide. In addition, Brian

[4:49] brings experience over seeing Title IX processes and supporting the implementation of anti-bullying

[4:55] policies and procedures. He understands the importance of balancing legal compliance with thoughtful

[5:01] student-centered decision-making and has demonstrated the ability to navigate sensitive situations

[5:06] with families, with fairness, professionalism, and compassion. Justice importantly, his demonstrated

[5:13] a strong ability to analyze complex data, identify priorities, and translate those priorities

[5:19] into actionable and measurable strategies. And in fact, he did this in his performance task

[5:24] when provided with some fictitious information to help us make our decision.

[5:29] Throughout this process, we're continuously struck by Mr. Callahan's leadership style.

[5:35] He listens first, he builds relationships intentionally, and he earns trust through collaboration.

[5:41] These qualities are truly essential for the position, especially for someone who will be overseeing

[5:46] student well-being, community partnerships, compliance, and cross-departmental initiatives.

[5:55] So it is my responsibility, as you said, under Massachusetts Law, to recommend the individual

[5:59] I believe is best prepared to serve our student staff and community.

[6:03] And after this comprehensive process, I say with confidence that Mr. Brian Kellyanne is that

[6:08] individual.

[6:10] I believe strongly that his extensive leadership is that full approach to building school

[6:14] community and culture and unwavering, focused on students,

[6:18] make him an outstanding addition to our leadership team.

[6:20] I look forward to introducing Mr. Kellyanne to you in the future

[6:23] and to our community as he begins to build relationships

[6:26] here in true spirit.

[6:28] And I respectfully recommend that the school community vote

[6:31] to a point, Mr. Kellyanne, as the Assistant Superintendent

[6:33] for Welbing and Community Systems.

[6:36] I'd be happy to take any questions or comments that you've got.

[6:38] Does anybody have any comments or questions?

[6:41] I would just like to thank you, Dr. Austender, for running a very well-run process.

[6:48] I was very impressed with our meetings last week. I thought they were very well-done.

[6:54] The fact that we could do around Robin and meet various candidates all in one fell swoop was very

[7:00] much appreciated, very efficient. I'd also like to thank the focus group participants that took their

[7:06] especially kind of, you know, until I forth was around here and was a busy, a busy time and people were kind enough to give of their time once the school year had ended to kind of help us with this process.

[7:20] There was some community partners that took time, parents, students, and then staff, of course, that all gave up their time to help us with this.

[7:30] Very comprehensive and well done process. It was also very pleased to see that the pool was deep. That we were able to, over 40 candidates for this position was very impressive to me.

[7:44] And it just, you know, I think it speaks well of the district that people were that interested in trying to come, you know, put their name forward for this position.

[7:52] And I'm very supportive after meeting with Mr. Kelly Han.

[7:56] I think he's the right man for the job.

[8:00] So I agree with your recommendation.

[8:08] I'll echo that.

[8:09] I thought you did a really good job.

[8:12] Pretty much together.

[8:12] The focus interview I was impressed by all three of the candidates

[8:16] that we ended up bringing in.

[8:18] I thought they were all great representatives.

[8:20] We talked about this before.

[8:22] When we were discussing this position and how you re-tooled it

[8:25] and what you're seeing for yourself as, you know,

[8:29] start your super-intendancy.

[8:31] We're like, we sure that this person exists.

[8:34] This is like, it's a lot, but, you know,

[8:38] for me, meeting Mr. Callahan and having a conversation

[8:41] with him and his responses to a lot of the questions

[8:43] that we as a school committee asked him

[8:45] and I'm sure that he had those responses to others.

[8:48] I was very much, when I walked out of there,

[8:52] confident that we did find that unicorn

[8:54] that we were a little concerned that maybe we wouldn't be able to, but truly, he stood out in that

[9:01] interview process and had such a way about him that just exuded confidence, he had such great

[9:06] ideas not just, you know, from the last few years that he's done things, but from his entire time

[9:12] in his own district, and he was very impressive. So I too and very much in favor of Mr. Callahan.

[9:19] And hopefully we can see him very soon, right?

[9:25] Okay, so we do need to take a vote on this tonight.

[9:29] May I please have a motion that the School Committee vote to appoint Brian Callahan,

[9:34] as recommended by the superintendent for the position of assistant superintendent

[9:38] or well-being in community systems.

[9:40] So moved, okay.

[9:42] Okay, moved and seconded.

[9:43] All those in favor please do so by saying aye.

[9:46] Thank you, the motion carries.

[9:49] It's a congratulations to Mr.

[9:50] Caroline.

[9:50] And welcome to Shrewsbury.

[9:53] Okay.

[9:54] The next item on the agenda is a discussion

[9:57] and nomination to appoint a school committee member

[10:01] to the Shrewsbury master planning steering committee.

[10:05] The town Shrewsbury is initiating an update

[10:07] to its comprehensive master plan

[10:09] and they're seeking our committee's participation

[10:10] in helping shape the future of Shrewsbury.

[10:14] The town's master plan serves as a community vision that establishes long-term decision making guidance for

[10:19] shoes for a physical development. This one includes critical areas such as land use, housing, open space,

[10:25] national resources, recreation, economic development, transportation, and public facilities. The master plan

[10:31] steering committee has been established to oversee this entire initiative and close cooperation with the

[10:40] in individual members may be assigned to subcommittees to focus deeply on specific aspects of the plan.

[10:47] So the school committee is being asked to appoint one of its members as well as a student representative to serve as our official representation on the master plan steering committee.

[10:56] We will invite the planning board to our next regularly scheduled meeting in the fall to provide additional detail.

[11:02] Tonight, we are going to appoint one of us to this year in committee.

[11:07] We will also hold off until September to appoint a student representative.

[11:12] As I would like to work with Mr. Bizzillo at the high school

[11:15] to best select a representative for what they're asking us to do.

[11:24] So I have spoken with Ms. Torres is not here tonight,

[11:28] But I've spoken with Ms. Torres and she has expressed interest in being our representative to this committee.

[11:35] I think some of her work background lends itself to the committee, but if anybody else is interested to.

[11:43] I'm also supportive of Ms. Torres serving on behalf of the school committee. I do think her real estate law background will be a nice compliment to the committee.

[11:55] Okay. Okay. Okay. So then we will need to take a vote. So may I please have a motion

[12:02] that the school committee vote to appoint Nicole Torres as the school committee member

[12:06] representative to the Shrew Survey Master Plan Steering Committee.

[12:09] So move, circle. Okay, move in second. All those in favor, please do so by saying aye.

[12:14] Aye. Thank you. Motion carries. The mischores will serve as our representative.

[12:18] The last item on the agenda is the approval minutes. The minutes from the school committee meeting

[12:23] held on June 17th, 2026, we're sent to us for a review. Does anyone have any changes or revisions?

[12:30] No. Seeing as there are new changes, these can be marked as accepted as distributed.

[12:35] We do not need to go into Executive Session tonight.

[12:38] So, if there is no further business before the committee may please have a motion to conclude our meeting for tonight.

[12:44] Second.

[12:44] Okay. This requires a rule called Vote Mr. Wensky.

[12:47] Mr. Villagaputti.

[12:48] Hi.

[12:49] Ms. Bouchai.

[12:49] Hi. My self, Mr. Ripur.

[12:51] I. Thank you. I'm good night.

School Committee Meeting

Transcript