The Northampton School Committee meets at 6:30 p.m. on the second Thursday of each month in the Mark E. Warner Community Room at JFK Middle School, 100 Bridge Road, Florence, or by videoconference. Subcommittees meet at other times as needed. The full meeting schedule, along with agendas and approved minutes can be found under the School Committee Calendar section of this website.

During the budget season (February & March), there are typically two meetings per month (second and fourth Thursdays). Agendas are prepared by the Superintendent, Chair (the Mayor), and Vice Chair and are published on the Friday preceding the meeting on the City of Northampton Public Meeting Calendar, as well as on the District website under School Committee Agendas. On occasion, the Committee may call a special meeting to conduct business which cannot be delayed until the next meeting. It is the intent of the Committee to complete all business by 11:00 p.m.

The Committee may go into Executive Session (closed doors) upon a majority vote of the members present for consideration of certain matters specified by the Open Meeting Law examples of which include personnel issues, negotiations for contract and collective bargaining, legal advice, and litigation.

The acceptance of a code of ethics implies the understanding of the basic organization of school committees under the laws of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. As an elected public official, a school committee member is expected to adhere to those state laws that apply to school committees since school committees are agencies of the state.

This code of ethics outlines three areas of a school committee’s member’s responsibility: (1) community responsibility; (2) responsibility to school administration; (3) relationship to fellow committee members.

1. A school committee member in his/her relations with the community should:

• Realize that his/her primary responsibility is to the children.
• Recognize that his/her basic function is policy-making and not administrative.
• Remember that he/she is one of a team and must abide by, and carry out, all committee decisions once they are made.
• Be well informed concerning the duties of a committee member on both a local and state level.
• Remember that he/she represents the entire community at all times.
• Accept the office of committee members as a means of unselfish service with no intent to “play politics” in any sense of the word, or to benefit personally from committee activities.

2.  A school committee member in his/her relations with the school administration should:

• Endeavor to establish sound, clearly-defined policies with which to direct and support administration.
• Recognize and support the administrative chain of command and refuse to act on complaints as an individual outside the administration.
• Act only on the recommendations of the chief administrator in all matters of employment or dismissal of school personnel.
• Give the chief administrator full responsibility for discharging his/her professional duties and hold him/her responsible for acceptable results.
• Refer all complaints to the administrative staff for solution and only discuss them at committee meetings if such solutions fail.

3.  A school committee member in his/her relations with fellow committee members should:

• Recognize that action at official meetings is binding and that he/she alone cannot bind the committee outside such meetings.
• Realize that statements or promises should not be made regarding how he/she will vote on matters that will come before the committee.
• Uphold the intent of executive sessions and respect the privileged communication that exists in executive sessions.
• Not withhold pertinent information on school matters or personnel problems, either from members of his/her own committee or from members of other committees who may be seeking help and information on school problems.
• Make decisions only after all facts on a question have been presented and discussed.

The typical order of business is as follows:  Roll Call; Public Comment; Announcements; Recommended Actions including approval of minutes; Reports and Recommendations, including reports from subcommittees, the Superintendent, and Business Manager; New Business; and Adjournment.

SCHOOL COMMITTEE MEETING INFORMATION

• Full Board Meetings are held in the Mark E. Warner Community Room (wheelchair accessible) at JFK Middle School, 100 Bridge Road, Florence, MA 01062 or by videoconference.  Website links to access meetings are embedded in all meeting agendas.
• Regular monthly meetings are held on the second Thursday of the month.
• Subcommittee Meetings are typically held by videoconference.
• Meeting Minutes are posted after they are approved by the School Committee (typically at the following meeting).
• Information Packets for each meeting are available in the calendar entry for the meeting in the calendar below or for public viewing at the Superintendent’s Office.
• School Committee meetings are generally broadcast live by Northampton Open Media.
• 2024 School Committee Meeting Schedule – click here to download/view
• The School Committee has established Rules of Procedure which govern the conduct of its meetings.

• At the start of each regularly scheduled School Committee meeting, individuals will sign in for an opportunity to speak during public comment. Up to 90 minutes are allotted for the public comment segment. 
• Speakers will be allowed up to three (3) minutes to present their material and must begin their comments by stating their name and city/town. If a speaker needs an interpreter or has a communication disability, then 6 minutes will be allotted. Speakers needing interpretive services should notify the School Committee Clerk 48 hours in advance. Speakers needing time accommodations should notify the Chair at the start of Public Comment.
• Public comment is not a discussion, debate, or dialogue between individuals and the School Committee. The School Committee does not comment on public comment. It is an individual's opportunity to express an opinion on issues within the School Committee's authority.

Read the full School Committee Policy on Public Comment here

Click to View the Rules of Procedure