Page 271 - BOXFORD

Our Fiscal Year 2015 has been unusual and important in many ways for the District. We
started to look forward in ways we have not been able to in recent years.

We welcomed Dr. Kevin Lyons to the District as our new superintendent. Dr. Lyons has
brought a wealth of experience from his work as superintendent in three other
Massachusetts school districts, and immediately focused on learning about our district
while establishing stronger relationships with the staff and many constituents including
town leaders, parents and students.

One of the realities of this decade is the dramatic increase in the number of special needs
recognized across the spectrum of all students. A nationwide phenomenon, Masco also
has been experiencing a rapid change in the needs of our student population. This year
an unforeseen number of new students with special needs joined us, adding to our
commitment to provide the services necessary to meet their individual and particular
requirements. The cost of this sudden change exceeded a half million dollars, and
together with other difficult choices, led the District to seek an unprecedented increase in
our budget.

In our effort to educate every student whatever their needs, the District embarked on a
fresh strategy that recognizes the trends, and seeks to minimize the cost of meeting the
needs of all our students. By rearranging resources and hiring necessary specialists, we
have sought to bring programs into our schools to serve students who might otherwise
require Out-of-District placement at a much higher cost to the District. In all, these
necessary changes brought the Masconomet budget over $30 million for the first time.
While challenging us all, we appreciate the support of all those who supported this
undeniable need.

Masconomet continues to excel in many measures of quality and effectiveness. The
th
District was named 14 in Massachusetts for “Bang for Your Buck,” and new programs
integrating Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) point to further
improvement in future measures of excellence. The Masconomet Education Foundation
led in helping us create this special program without any investment by the District,
demonstrating remarkable support by many in our Tri-Town Community.

We upgraded our website to make the District’s workings more transparent and to help
everyone better understand what goes on at Masco, posting many documents and
materials for the first time—we invite you learn more by visiting us at
www.masconomet.org.

Also this year, we accepted three foreign students to the high school providing
opportunities for our students to learn more about others from different backgrounds. As
tuition-paying students, the cost of their participation is fully-funded without any burden
on the towns. As part of our overall plan to build greater global awareness and

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