Shawsheen Tech Votes Unanimously to Hire Markham LLC as New Auditor

BILLERICA -- October 24, 2023, Shawsheen Tech unanimously approved a new three-year audit contract and reviewed strong MCAS scores at its October 24 meeting. The School Committee voted to hire Markham LLC as the district's auditor after the prior firm gave late notice it was exiting the school audit market; the audit subcommittee noted that CPA firms are not subject to Massachusetts Chapter 30B bidding requirements and that two firms had been reviewed before the recommendation was made. Director of Academics Danica Johnson reported that 99 percent of students met the ELA state competency determination, 96 percent met math and biology standards, and no seniors are in danger of not graduating due to MCAS; she also announced she won an international Outstanding Leadership Award from the Education 2.0 Conference, selected from 4,700 nominees. Superintendent Tony Casale reported that applications for the class of 2028 have already reached 215 compared to 89 at the same point last year, with co-op students earning $470,200 in wages to date. The committee agreed informally to separate the FY25 budget public hearing from the final budget vote, placing the hearing in early February and the vote at the subsequent meeting on February 27.