4 Wayland Residents Apply For School Committee Vacancy

WAYLAND, MA — Four Wayland residents have applied for a vacancy on the school committee, according to town officials.

The vacant seat opened in May when member Jessica Polizzotti resigned in May. Polizzotti said she stepped because she couldn't "reconcile my morals and values" with recent school committee decisions. For months, the committee has been dealing with issues related to Superintendent Omar Easy, including an investigation into his conduct and a vote to place him on leave.

The four residents who applied for the seat are: Craig Gruber, who ran unsuccessfully for a seat on the committee this spring; Jeanne Downs, who decided not to run for reelection this spring after serving three terms as a committee member; Sheetal Acharya, the former Happy Hollow PTO president; and resident Kenneth Helvig.

Under state law, the school committee and select board will meet in joint session — a meeting scheduled for June 5 — to pick from the pool of four applicants to fill Polizzotti's seat.

The person picked for the seat will serve the remainder of Polizzotti's term through spring 2024. The interim member can run for a full three-year term in the spring 2024 election.