Francis Ogura for Holliston School Committee

08/26/2026

Welcome back, Holliston! 🎒📚

There’s always something special about the first day of school - new teachers, new classmates, new opportunities, and a fresh start for our entire school community.

As we begin the 2026–2027 school year, I want to wish all of our students, educators, staff, and families a fantastic year ahead. A special thank you to everyone across the district who has worked throughout the summer to make sure our schools are ready to welcome students back.

As School Committee Chair, I’m excited about what’s ahead for Holliston Public Schools and grateful for the partnership, energy, and commitment that make this community such a special place.

Here’s to a safe, successful, and memorable school year. Have a great first day, Holliston!

06/15/2026

Congrats Keith! Such a well deserved recognition for your many years of contributions to HPS!

https://www.facebook.com/share/14azWfZ3Mn4/?mibextid=wwXIfr

Retired Holliston official Keith Buday was chosen for the 2026 John F. Conway Distinguished Service Award. See link below ⬇️

📸 Provided by Massachusetts Association of School Business Officials

06/04/2026

To the Holliston Community,

Moments ago, I learned that Sarah Fitzgerald has resigned from the School Committee, effective immediately.

I am deeply saddened by this news, not only because of what it means for our School Committee, but because of what it says about the climate that has developed within our community.

Sarah has served Holliston with integrity, honesty, respect, and a genuine commitment to open dialogue. She has consistently approached her role with professionalism and a desire to bring people together, even when opinions differed. Whether you agreed with her positions or not, her dedication to serving this community was evident.

There is no place for that in Holliston. It is particularly disappointing to see the same divisiveness and hostility that many of us criticize in our national discourse finding its way into our own community. We should hold ourselves to a higher standard.

Sarah's resignation follows Dan Alfred's decision to withdraw from consideration for appointment to the one-year School Committee term after experiencing similar treatment directed not only at him but also at his family. While reasonable people can disagree on decisions, priorities, and outcomes, no volunteer public servant, especially their families should be subjected to harassment, intimidation, or personal attacks.

I joined the School Committee knowing there would be disagreements. In public service, disagreement is expected and often healthy. We all bring different perspectives, experiences, and priorities to the table. What I believed, however, was that despite those differences, Holliston would continue to be a community that treated one another with respect and dignity.

Over the past several days, I have found that belief challenged.

Following the adjournment of the June 2 joint meeting of the School Committee and Select Board, I was personally confronted with a comment that “I should burn a at the bottom of hell”. No one should direct such a vile comment at another member of this community. While I will not dwell on the individual involved, the message was clear: political disagreement had crossed the line into personal hostility.

I chose not to respond because I believe we must be better than that. But silence in the face of this behavior cannot become acceptance of it.

We can disagree without dehumanizing one another. We can challenge decisions without attacking character. We can advocate passionately without targeting families. Those principles should not be controversial.

The real issue before us is bigger than any one meeting, any one vote, or any one individual. It is about the kind of community we want Holliston to be.

If we allow intimidation, personal attacks, and hostility to become the norm, we risk driving away good people who are willing to volunteer, lead, and serve. That would be a loss for all of us, regardless of our political views or positions on any particular issue.

Today, I am asking members of our community to speak up.

Speak up for civility.

Speak up for respect.

Speak up when you see behavior that crosses the line.

Speak up in support of constructive disagreement rather than personal destruction.

We do not have to agree with one another. But we must remember that we are neighbors first.

Holliston is better than what we have witnessed over the last several days. It is time for all of us to prove it.

05/23/2026

Election results are never easy, especially when you care deeply about the work and the community you serve. While Dan did not win reelection to the School Committee, I do think it’s important to acknowledge the tremendous amount of work, time, and leadership he has given to Holliston over the years.

Dan is not a perfect person - none of us are - and he would likely be the first to admit that. He can be stubborn, direct, and passionate in ways that don’t always resonate with everyone. But what often gets lost in the noise is that his motivation has always come from wanting better outcomes for our schools, students, staff, and community.

Over the last several years, Holliston has navigated enormous challenges and meaningful progress: complex budgets, transportation changes, district leadership transitions, and now major momentum toward a potential new high school through the MSBA process. Dan played a significant role in many of those conversations and decisions. He brought institutional knowledge, financial understanding, and a willingness to put in countless hours that many people never saw.

Disagreeing with someone’s style or decisions is fair. That’s part of public service. But I think it’s important to separate disagreement from the idea that someone is malicious, evil, or acting in bad faith. That simply was never true of Dan.

Public service is difficult, often thankless work. Regardless of election outcomes, people who dedicate years of their lives trying to improve their community deserve appreciation for the value they brought and the sacrifices they made along the way.

Thank you, Dan, for the work, the commitment, and the care you gave to Holliston.

05/19/2026

Polls open at 7am!! Come on down to the high school and vote for Sarah and Dan for school committee!!

05/13/2026

Experience matters — especially during periods of major progress and important decisions for our schools.

As voters consider the Holliston School Committee race, I strongly support re-electing Sarah MacCormack Fitzgerald and Daniel Alfred, Holliston School Committee. Their experience, institutional knowledge, and steady leadership are incredibly important right now.

A trusted community member shared this with me as I was running in 2024 that really resonated:

“School Committee members often need 2–3 terms before they fully understand the complexity of the role, the budget, negotiations, governance responsibilities, state processes, and how to effectively lead through difficult decisions.”

That perspective matters. Today, the average tenure of the Holliston School Committee is less than a single elected term, with only one current member having served beyond one full term. That’s not a criticism of newer members — everyone starts somewhere — but it is a reminder that experience on a committee like this is valuable, not negative.

Serving on School Committee is not simply attending meetings or reacting to issues online. It requires years of learning budgets, contracts, transportation, special education obligations, MSBA processes, policy governance, labor relations, and building productive working relationships across town government and the schools.

Sarah and Dan have helped lead Holliston through meaningful progress:
• Strong financial stewardship and budget management
• Advancement of the Holliston High School MSBA feasibility study
• Transportation improvements
• Stability during leadership transitions
• Continued focus on improving outcomes for students and families

People can absolutely disagree on style, approach, or priorities — that’s healthy in public service. But the idea that experience itself is somehow a bad thing is simply false.

Experience brings context. Experience brings stability. Experience helps avoid repeating mistakes. And experience matters most when a town is taking on major long-term work.

On May 19, I hope Holliston voters will support Sarah and Dan for School Committee so they can continue helping move this important work forward.

05/12/2026

Tonight was a monumental step forward for Holliston. Town Meeting unanimously passed Article 25 in support of the MSBA Feasibility Study for Holliston High School — an exciting milestone in the continued investment in our students, educators, and community.

This process has not always been easy, but tonight showed what Holliston can accomplish when we come together around a shared vision for the future. Thank you to everyone who spoke up, asked thoughtful questions, and supported moving this important work forward.

I am incredibly excited for the next chapter as we continue building toward a stronger future for Holliston Public Schools.

05/09/2026

Holliston is at an important moment for our schools, and strong, steady leadership matters more than ever - experience, dedication and results MATTER.

That’s why I’m supporting Sarah MacCormack Fitzgerald and Daniel Alfred, Holliston School Committee for another term on School Committee.

They’ve shown a clear track record of thoughtful decision-making, collaboration, and a focus on what actually moves our schools forward. From navigating complex challenges to advancing meaningful initiatives, they’ve stayed grounded, transparent, and committed to doing the work the right way.

What stands out most is the momentum we’re seeing across Holliston Public Schools. There’s real progress happening - whether it’s long-term planning, strengthening operations, or setting the foundation for future investments like the high school project. Their leadership has been instrumental in the progress made over the last two years, breaking the status quo and delivering unprecedented positive impact. That doesn’t happen by accident. It takes consistent leadership and a willingness to make tough, informed decisions.

Dan and Sarah bring exactly that: steady leadership, a focus on results, and a clear commitment to students, families, and the community. There is more work to do and we need Sarah and Dan to continue the momentum.

If you care about continuing the positive trajectory of our schools, they’ve earned your support.

01/23/2026

To say we are incredibly excited is an understatement. Real positive change is happening NOW!

Tonight, the Holliston School Committee voted to appoint Jessica Beattie as our Assistant Superintendent of Student Services (previously Student Services Director). Jess previously served as Holliston’s SSD until last summer when she unfortunately left for a similar job I a neighboring district. Prior to her departure from Holliston, Jess had served Holliston for 23 years and her departure was a huge loss for the District. It is rare to be able to right a loss like this and I am thrilled that Jess was interested in returning. It speaks volumes about Holliston as a District. Congrats and welcome home Jess!!!

Additionally, it was announced tonight that Dr. Joanne Menard, assistant superintendent of curriculum and instruction since 2021, has been appointed as the Superintendent of the East Longmeadow School district, pending finalizing her employment contract negotiations. Since joining the district, Dr. Menard has put in a significant amount of time and effort on curriculum reviews. I wish Dr. Menard well on this next step in her career journey.

Finally, while there will be more communication coming, we currently anticipate that Superintendent Finalist interviews will occur next week on January 27th, 28th, and 29th with a final vote on an appointment likely the following week after time to collect community feedback through a survey that will also be distributed via email. On the days that the finalists interview, they will be in the District all day visiting the different schools and meeting with teachers and staff. There will also be opportunities for members of the community to meet the finalists (more to come on that as well).

While there are lots of changes currently happening in the District, I am more excited now in the future of HPS than I have been in a long time. We have incredible teachers, paraprofessionals, and staff members and our students are doing incredible things.

As always, reach out with any questions.