Committee Grills Superintendent Finalist Danahy

School Committee · Meeting of April 27, 2026

NORTHAMPTON — The Northampton School Committee questioned superintendent finalist Tom Danahy for more than 90 minutes on April 27 before a unanimous roll call vote closing the session. Danahy, who leads a Connecticut-based regional education agency called ACES, addressed special education trust issues, saying district audits showed families need more voice in decisions and that stronger "tier one" instruction could reduce special education caseloads over time. He discussed Northampton's late budget timeline as a hiring obstacle, saying "there's a missed opportunity in the hiring practice" when postings go out late in summer.

He also weighed in on a possible state-mandated phone ban, saying current pocket-based policies "have been pretty marvelous" and warning that statewide mandates could disrupt working systems. Committee members each offered a vision for his success, including building trust with special education families and becoming a visible community figure.

In the full story:

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• Northampton's community access TV: School Committee meeting, April 27, 2026
• The complete report: 699 words

Source: the School Committee meeting of April 27, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.

Checked against the record: before publication this article was automatically compared with the meeting transcript. It was corrected where it differed.