BUCKLAND — One year after being the first superintendent to receive an “exemplary” rating in the district since 2012, Mohawk Trail Regional School District Superintendent Sheryl Stanton was rated “proficient” by the School Committee for her performance during the 2025-2026 school year.
Of the 12 School Committee members to give Stanton an overall rating, five gave her an “exemplary” rating, five gave her a “proficient” rating and two gave her a rating of “needs improvement.” Stanton was evaluated in four performance categories: instructional leadership, management and operations, family and community engagement, and professional culture.
Also included in the evaluation process was an assessment of where Stanton is in achieving the goals set by the School Committee at the start of the school year. The School Committee said she met all the goals presented.
“The difficult fiscal realities of this year have made the job of the superintendent more
challenging than ever, but Sheryl has maintained her focus on academic excellence and
growth for all students, and a positive school culture and climate,” School Committee Vice Chair Suzanne Crawford wrote in her explanation of the “proficient” rating she gave Stanton. “She has made it a priority to spend time in classrooms in all the schools, and to support principals and teachers in their own growth. She makes data-informed decisions and supports that throughout the district’s work.”
The committee voted to accept the assessment of Stanton at last week’s meeting. Members emphasized Stanton’s commitment to student learning and her work in creating a safe environment for students. Many members mentioned the difficult budget season that Mohawk Trail went through for the upcoming school year, and the communication around the budget and the sustainability study considering the district’s future.
There was a much larger range in School Committee members’ evaluations of Stanton this year than in previous years.
“I marked [the family and community engagement category as “needs improvement”] due to witnessing times of reaction or lack of communication during hard conversations,” Shelburne member Willow Cohen wrote. “This isn’t always the case, but there have been multiple moments when an amount of time has passed when communication was warranted or the information shared was questioned. It is also important to note that context and patience are always key, especially for parents (and community members) who may not fully understand the complicated work involved within the district.”
Stanton’s strongest area was instructional leadership, where five members rated her “exemplary,” six rated her “proficient” and one rated her performance as “needing improvement.” Committee members recounted how instructional leadership has been a focus of Stanton’s for several years, and that her efforts are producing positive results for both teaching and learning.
“Sheryl has coordinated a lot of moving parts to establish tiers of educator leadership teams and effective supports for students. A particular accomplishment has been in promoting equity by aligning curriculum across multiple elementary schools,” wrote Colrain member Kate Barrows, explaining her “exemplary” rating. Barrows has since been replaced on the School Committee by Dennis DePaolo following the spring election. “Spearheading an effort to emphasize the role of the principal as an educational leader who spends time in classrooms with students and provides guidance to teachers qualifies as exemplary performance for a superintendent of schools.”
“The reason we are all here is to promote constant improvement in student
achievement and to send our students out into the world beyond our district as
confident, curious citizens,” School Committee Chair Martha Thurber wrote. “Sheryl has continuously worked to improve our curricula and our classroom teaching, with demonstrably positive results. She has also made it a priority to ensure that all students feel welcome and supported in our schools.”
To view the superintendent evaluations, visit drive.google.com/drive/u/0/folders/1ETcKYNljQT5LUCVkxcqJpKKJW_EQJbJ4.
