
Superintendent Joe Sawyer speaks at the Class of 2024’s graduation. (Photo/Evan Walsh)
SHREWSBURY – In his annual “State of the District” address to the School Committee on Jan. 22, Shrewsbury Public Schools Superintendent Joe Sawyer outlined the district’s strengths while also describing potential challenges it may face in the future.
“I think it’s important to know that our district is moving forward. There’s a lot of excellent work that’s happening across our schools that we should celebrate, but at the same time we definitely face headwinds,” said Sawyer. “Many issues that we do face really have a duality to them; they’re both opportunities and challenges.”
When discussing the district’s strengths, Sawyer recognized Shrewsbury’s “tremendous” students and “highly skilled staff.” The district enjoys strong support from the community, he said, and has strengthened supports for student social, emotional, and behavioral health.
As far as headwinds go, Sawyer said students still face continued volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity that can make learning more difficult. Like other districts throughout the country, Shrewsbury continues to see post-pandemic learning gaps and more behavioral challenges among students.
It’s a two-way street for many issues — artificial intelligence can be an opportunity for students to enhance learning, but, on the other hand, it can also be viewed as a challenge, potentially promoting academic dishonesty and cheating, said Sawyer.
The potential expansion of Shrewsbury High School is another opportunity, but managing the extreme overcrowding at the over-capacity school in the meantime is proving to be challenging.
“Thank you for the 30,000-foot overview,” said School Committee Chair Jon Wensky. “We’re fortunate to have an outstanding staff who engage the students and, of course, a very generous community in Shrewsbury … I’ve always known Shrewsbury to be a destination for good schools.”