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SPS Committee Advances Superintendent Search Process

The Sudbury Public Schools (SPS) School Committee voted unanimously Monday night to approve several key parts of its superintendent search plan. The vote sets up a fast-moving process, with candidate interviews scheduled for mid-December. At its November 2 meeting, the committee approved a 16-member screening committee, the charge that will govern that group's work,…

ByKevin LaHaise10 hours ago0Comments

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News

Audit of SPS Student Activity Accounts Recommended After Apparent Three-Year Gap

Sudbury Public Schools (SPS) Acting Director of Business and Human Resources Buck Creel told the School Committee’s Budget Subcommittee on Oct. 23 that the district should have its next permanent business director conduct an audit of all student activity accounts, noting he could find no evidence that an audit has been performed on any of…

ByKevin LaHaiseOctober 29, 20260Comments

News

SPS Contemplates Potential Override Or “Gigantic” Cuts

Sudbury Town Manager Andy Sheehan's Budget Working Group spent recent months charting a course to avoid an override request in Fiscal Year 2028 (FY28). Over the last two meetings of the working group, the forecasted budget shortfall was shrinking as good news came in about fixed costs. It looked as though the Town could be…

ByKevin LaHaiseOctober 28, 20260Comments

Classroom scene with chalkboard message "Bring Your Thinking Cap" and supplies.

News

AG’s Office Declines to Review A Third SPS OML Complaint

The office found nothing to review and clarified the limits of the Open Meeting Law when it comes to public participation. The Massachusetts attorney general’s office has issued another declination in a series of Open Meeting Law (OML) complaints filed against the Sudbury Public Schools (SPS) School Committee, this one involving the committee's handling of…

ByKevin LaHaiseOctober 27, 20260Comments

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Features

Checking the Record: SPS Payroll Responsibilities

[‘Checking the Record’ is a recurring analysis column that checks the record on some of the claims made in Sudbury’s civic discourse.] After news that Sudbury Public Schools (SPS) is being sued over alleged late payments to three employees, community members have asked who is responsible for school payroll: SPS, the School Committee, or…

ByKevin LaHaiseOctober 26, 20260Comments

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News

Park and Rec Scales Back Davis Field Project

During the October 19 meeting of Sudbury's Park and Recreation Commission, the commissioners continued to discuss their Davis Field project; and they took decisive action. After lengthy deliberation the Commission: Voted down a 3-field option Voted favorably on a 2-field option Voted to eliminate all fencing, netting, storage boxes and…

ByKevin LaHaiseOctober 25, 20260Comments

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Lists Satire

What the Consultants Say—A List Inspired By the SPS Spanish Program Report

Sudbury Public Schools recently shared a consultant's report on the elementary Spanish program. For detailed coverage, read this article first. In short, the elementary Spanish program has no formally defined student outcomes, no district-provided instructional resources, and operates in complete isolation from the broader grade-level curriculum. It's a program without a... program. …

ByKevin LaHaiseOctober 24, 20260Comments

News

Lawsuit Alleges Sudbury Schools Paid Clerical Staff Late

Three longtime clerical employees of the Sudbury Public Schools, two current and one retired, have filed a civil lawsuit against the Town of Sudbury–Sudbury Public Schools and Donald Sawyer, the district’s Director of Business and Human Resources. The suit alleges repeated violations of the Massachusetts Wage Act. The complaint was filed October 21, 2026,…

ByKevin LaHaiseOctober 23, 20260Comments

News

Sherman’s Bridge to Close for 12-Week Rehabilitation On November 9

The long-anticipated rehabilitation of Sherman's Bridge will officially begin on Monday, November 9, 2026, triggering a full bridge closure that is expected to last for 12 weeks. The crossing, which connects Lincoln Road in Sudbury to Sherman's Bridge Road in Wayland, is anticipated to reopen by February 1, 2027, weather and conditions permitting. According to…

ByKevin LaHaiseOctober 22, 20260Comments

Satire

SPS: Teaching Spanish Without a Curriculum Doesn’t Produce Bilingual 6th Graders

In a revelation that has sent shockwaves through the local educational establishment, a new consulting report has concluded that teaching elementary schoolers a foreign language for just 40 minutes a week, without a formalized curriculum or instructional materials, somehow fails to result in fluency. The stunning findings, presented at the October 19 Sudbury Public…

ByKevin LaHaiseOctober 20, 20260Comments

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