The Cohasset Compass

Dear Cohasset Public Schools Community,

As a result of a rigorous interview process -- one that involved multiple stakeholders on the interview committee -- we are thrilled to announce three finalists for the position of Assistant Superintendent for the Cohasset Public Schools.

In reviewing 38 applicants, the interview committee considered the candidates’ high-level professional experiences, the building needs, and the district’s goals when selecting who to interview. The committee initially selected twelve candidates to interview and interviewed eleven of those twelve last week. Through that process, committee discussions, and initial reference checks, three candidates emerged and will be moving forward as finalists.

You may view the finalists’ resume by clicking the link on their names below.

Robert (Rob) Powers

Terri Smith

Elizabeth (Beth) Wilcox

Our Finalist Days for these three candidates will be held as follows: Rob Powers (Tuesday, March 24), Terri Smith (Wednesday, March 25), and Beth Wilcox (Thursday, March 26).

Each of our finalists will spend time with various stakeholders within the Cohasset school community. During that time, students, administrators, staff, School Committee, and the community will have an opportunity to interact with the candidates and provide feedback that will be used to help me make my final decision. The schedule for our finalists days is listed below, as we want to make you aware of and invite you to participate in the forum relevant to you, during which participants will have the opportunity to hear from and ask questions of our three finalists.

CPS Assistant Superintendent Finalist Interview Schedule:

Rob Powers - Tuesday, March 24

Terri Smith - Wednesday, March 25

Beth Wilcox - Thursday, March 26

The community forums will be held in-person in the CPS Community Room and virtually using Zoom each of the three days fro 4:00 - 4:30pm. The Zoom link is shared below and can be used for all three candidate sessions. Please note, the Community Forums are open to all staff, families and community members.

Topic: Assistant Superintendent Finalist Forums

Sarah Shannon is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.

Join Zoom Meeting

https://zoom.us/j/95687806092?pwd=ejOwSFRUKMUIltmVT0SVWYRWBCkbj7.1

Meeting ID: 956 8780 6092

Passcode: 098164

I want to take this opportunity to express my sincere gratitude to the members of the interview committee (see below). Each of them dedicated many hours to reviewing applications and conducting interviews. Each member was thoughtful when considering which candidates may best meet the needs of the role of the Cohasset Public Schools Assistant Superintendent. I am grateful to all members for their invaluable contributions to this process and to the District:

Jen Lesky, Michael Stapleton, Alex Sullivan, John Scopelleti, Lisa Portolese, Beth Owens-Rigby, Karin Johnston, Catherine Yindra, Shawn Turner, Tavin Casey, Olivia Langevin, Cassandra Dragon-Archembault, and Stephanie Saunders

I look forward to our Finalist Days and selecting the next Assistant Superintendent for the Cohasset Public Schools. Your support and engagement during the finalist phase is greatly appreciated.

Ever Onward,

Sarah

On March 4 and, again on March 18, I was able to share some positive budget news with the community. With ongoing support from the Town and additional retirement decision, we were able to substantially mitigate our anticipated educator reductions.

Positions that were reinstated with these additional funds were:

• 1.0 ELA at CMS
• 1.0 Math at CMS
• 1.0 Special Education at CMS
• 1.0 World Language at CMS

Additionally, while the following positions will continue to be eliminated, they will no longer result in staff reductions and will minimally impact programming:

• .5 PreK
• 1.0 Art at CHS
• 1.0 Social Studies at CHS
• 1.0 Science at CHS

As we continue to move throughout the end of the year, we hope to continue to find ways to minimize the onoing reductions. We will also begin to work closely with the Town to address the structural deficits and financial needs the district will face going into FY28 and beyond and to create a sustainable financial plan that benefits all of Cohasset.

Click ABOVE to view the most recent FY27 budget presentation PowerPoint and BELOW to watch the budget presentation and discussion from the March 4, February 25, 2026 (starts at 32:30), February 4, 2026 and the January 21, 2026 School Committee Meetings.

Sari Reyes, Dominique Vecchiolla and Emily Ludwig from Cohasset Safe Harbor visited the State House on Wednesday, March 18 to participate in the 84 Enuff Advocacy Day, a national day of education and advocacy around tobacco, vape, and nicotine prevention.

Please join us for one of the best nights of the school year ~ MOSAIC! Mosaic is an evening where members of our community - students, staff, and families - can come together to celebrate all that makes us unique and all that binds us together in our humanity. Please plan to participate either by signing up as an exhibitor and sharing your culture and/or heritage or as a supporter. Either way, plan for a evening of fun, festivity, and great food!

TREP$, short for enTREPreneur$, is a project-based learning program that teaches students in grades 6–8 how to start their own businesses. Through engaging after-school workshops, students develop valuable skills such as teamwork, creative thinking, problem-solving, public speaking, and professional communication. They learn to collaborate, support one another, take risks, and work hard, all while having fun. These real-world skills help build confidence and prepare students for future success in school, careers, and everyday life.

All of their hard work leads to the exciting TREP$ Marketplace, where students launch the businesses they have created. The entire school community is invited to attend the TREP$ Marketplace on April 9 to support and celebrate our young entrepreneurs as they proudly showcase and sell their products.

So while you enjoy Mosaic Night, please plan to stop by the TREP$ Marketplace!

Tickets are available by going to https://metcoinc.org

Cohasset is a community comprised of experts in a wide variety of fields. In order to deliver more authentic, hands-on, project-based learning experiences to students, the Cohasset School Committee, in collaboration with district leadership, is working to develop a "Community Resource Guide." This Guide will serve as an invaluable resource to our classroom teachers and school staff, as it will provide them with a comprehensive database of all stakeholders and interested parties who are willing to share their background, experience, and expertise in furtherance of our mission to Empower Students to Improve Communities.

There are many different ways in which one might participate in this endeavor, including classroom presentations, hosting or facilitating field trips, creating shadow or internship opportunities, or assisting with project-based learning experiences.

If you are willing to share your unique talents, passions, interests, and/or expertise, please click this link to fill out a brief interest form. We thank you for your willingness to volunteer your time in order to deliver impactful learning experiences to CPS students.

Onward and Upward,

Your School Committee

MPY is pleased to offer proven resources to help students' families thrive. Explore this curated collection of quick videos and informative handouts thoughtfully grouped by relevant topics. Each segment below is filled with proven, practical, and easy-to-implement video solutions on a wide range of parenting challenges.

Some offerings include:

• Inspire School Success for Elementary, Middle & High School Students

• Parenting Principles for Progress not Perfection

• Support Your Anxious Child

• Help Your Neurodiverse Child Thrive (ADHD/ASD)

Click here to learn more and see all of the offerings.

• March 24 - All School Chorus Concert @ 7:00pm

• March 25 - School Committee Budget Vote; All School Band Concert @ 7:00pm

• April 1 - School Committee Meeting (To Be Held at METCO HQ at 11 Roxbury Street, Roxbury, MA

🔗]Click here to visit the CPS Community Events & Registrations website.