Superintendent Proposes Four Goals for Upcoming School Year

Dr. Sullivan outlines plans for entry, student engagement, belonging, and district systems

MARSHFIELD, MA - September 24 - Superintendent Patrick Sullivan presented four proposed goals for the 2024-25 school year at Tuesday's school committee meeting, focusing on creating an entry plan, promoting student voice and engagement, establishing a belonging team, and strengthening district protocols and systems.

The goals, which will be reviewed and voted on at the next committee meeting, aim to align with the district's strategic plan pillars of equity, belonging and wellness; teaching, learning, and leading; community engagement and communications; and management and operations.

"Throughout the 2024-25 school year, I will create an entry plan in order to gain familiarity with stakeholders, to identify effective practice and potential areas for improvement, and to facilitate a successful transition into the role of the superintendent," Sullivan said of his first goal.

Key strategies include meeting with various stakeholders to generate data, analyzing that data, and developing an action plan by the end of January.

For his second goal, Sullivan plans to focus on student voice and engagement through the theme of "through the eyes of the student." This includes conducting learning walks with building leaders and creating a superintendent's student advisory council with representatives from every school.

"We're going to do that for elementary, staff meetings coming up, and we'll do it for our middle and high school a little bit later in the year, just because of time. But it's a multi-year process," Sullivan explained.

The third goal involves creating a belonging team with subgroups focused on social and emotional learning, wellness, and diversity, equity, and inclusion. Sullivan called this his "most ambitious goal," aiming to set goals and begin implementation within the school community by the end of the year.

Lastly, Sullivan proposed strengthening district protocols and systems, particularly around safety. This includes collaborating with local police and fire departments to establish content and calendars for trainings and drills.

"We're starting with our safety systems, and we're going to collaborate with leadership when appropriate, the Marshall Police Department, Marshall Fire Department, to foster protocols, procedures, and systems throughout the district," Sullivan said.

Committee Chair Sean Costello praised the presentation as "very thorough" and suggested the possibility of creating a subcommittee to check in on the superintendent's progress throughout the year.

The committee will review and vote on the proposed goals at their next meeting on Oct. 8 at Marshfield High School.

In other business, the committee unanimously approved a letter of support for a Community Preservation Committee application to revitalize the Marshfield High School baseball fields.

Assistant Superintendent of Business and Finance Tom Miller presented the $800,000 proposal, which includes improvements to the main high school field, JV field, and softball field, as well as ADA accessible walkways and electric vehicle chargers.

"It's a very wide-ranging proposal," Miller said. "It's a great package. I know I fully support it."

The application will go through the community preservation process and be voted on at the special town meeting in December.

The meeting concluded with Costello congratulating two close friends on the birth of their son, noting the child will be part of Marshfield High School's class of 2042.