Woburn school committee explains its role, election cycle and how residents can engage

Jesse Wetzel, a member of the Woburn Public Schools School Committee, described the committee’s primary duties and how residents can follow and take part in district governance during a Oct. 15 interview on Life Unlimited.

Wetzel said the committee’s basic responsibilities mirror guidance from the Massachusetts Association of School Committees: “the role of the school committee is to oversee the superintendent ... to approve the budget and then to approve policies,” and to maintain transparency and dialogue with the community.

The committee represents all of Woburn’s schools — seven elementary schools, two middle schools, one high school and the district’s early childhood program — and meets publicly, Wetzel said. She outlined the committee’s structure and election rules: there are seven members, including a chair and vice chair; Ellen Crowley is the committee chair and Pat Chisholm is vice chair. Members are elected by city voters every two years; the top two vote-getters in an election receive four‑year terms.

Why this matters: The committee approves policies, the superintendent’s oversight and the district budget — items that directly shape school programs, staff and services. Wetzel said the committee also spends time talking with staff, students, families and community members to inform those decisions.

How decisions and participation work: Wetzel described subcommittees that handle detailed work (finance and personnel, curriculum, and student services and achievement are among those she named) and said the finance subcommittee meets frequently, roughly biweekly during budget season. The district posts full budget packets and agendas no less than 48 hours before meetings, and regular school committee meetings include a public comment period (Wetzel said the show offers a three-minute guideline per speaker at the start of meetings). Meetings are broadcast on Woburn Public Media for those who cannot attend in person.

Wetzel encouraged residents to participate by attending meetings, emailing the committee or individual members, or using principals’ and PTO channels at individual schools. “Email’s great, then you have a paper trail,” she said, adding that committee members try to respond promptly and that all committee communications are public.

The member also urged parents and community members to examine budget documents before drawing conclusions. “Before you start to worry too much about the budget, really look at the numbers,” she said. Wetzel described the district’s budget packet as public record with charts that break spending down by categories such as transportation, salaries and utilities.

Less formal duties and outreach: Wetzel named outreach activities — meeting with parents, attending PTOs and listening to staff — as central to the committee’s work. She said committee members sometimes attend school council meetings and visit classrooms or curriculum materials when new programs are being piloted.

Looking ahead: Wetzel said she aims to remain accessible to constituents by phone, email and social media and repeated an invitation for residents to raise questions or bring ideas to the committee.