Littleton School Committee Dissolves Search Panel as Superintendent Finalist Count Falls to Three

LITTLETON — March 26, 2026 — Littleton School Committee dissolves superintendent search screening panel as finalist pool drops to three. The four-member quorum — Chair Justin McCarthy, Clerk Elaine Santelmann, and members Jeanine Wood and Sean Aherne — voted unanimously Thursday to dissolve the 19-member screening committee after finalist Heather Galante withdrew to accept a position with another district. Public interviews for the three remaining candidates are scheduled for March 30, 31, and April 1 at the Center on Shattuck, with a final vote set for April 9. The committee also deferred a vote on the Town Financial Management Policy after Business Manager Steve Mark warned that draft language barring revolving-fund salary payments without full fringe-benefit charges could upend how the district funds cafeteria staffing, pre-kindergarten, athletics stipends, and school choice — "I would recommend an exemption," Mark said. Superintendent Kelly Clenchy recommended opening 53 school choice seats for FY27, with the district's 86 current choice students drawn from roughly seven neighboring communities, and Mark's budget snapshot flagged close to $80,000 in unanticipated building expenses including a $25,000 fire alarm panel replacement at Russell Street School.